interphase

thumb|right|159px|An illustration of interphase. The chromatin has not yet condensed, and the cell is undergoing its normal functions. thumb |right|159px|An image of the nucleus of a cell (HT1080) currently in interphase (likely G1). Note: [[Cytoplasm of this cell or the neighboring cell is not visible (top-left), which is currently in the telophase of mitosis. Image taken using an optical microscope and DAPI staining of DNA.]] Interphase is the active portion of the cell cycle that includes the G1, S, and G2 phases, where the cell grows, replicates its DNA, and prepares for mitosis, respectively. Interphase was formerly called the "resting phase," but the cell in interphase is not simply dormant. Calling it so would be misleading since a cell in interphase is very busy synthesizing proteins, transcribing DNA into RNA, engulfing extracellular material, and processing signals, to name just a few activities. The cell is quiescent only in G0. Interphase is the phase of the cell cycle in which a typical cell spends 90% of its life. Interphase is the "daily living" or metabolic phase of the cell, in which the cell obtains nutrients and metabolizes them, grows, replicates its DNA in preparation for mitosis, and conducts other "normal" cell functions.

A common misconception is that interphase is the first stage of mitosis, but since mitosis is the division of the nucleus, prophase is actually the first stage.