Which to use
“Ince” is a name and “incur” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,293
- “Ince” frequency rank
- #19,620
- “incur” frequency rank
- 59913
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ince | incur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A surname. | To bring upon oneself or expose oneself to, especially something inconvenient, harmful, or onerous; to become liable or subject to. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Ince and incur apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Ince is /ˈɪns/ while incur is /ɪnˈkɜː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59913, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ince is recorded at frequency rank #40,293, classified as aname, pronounced /ˈɪns/. incur is at rank #19,620, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɪnˈkɜː/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 59913, this pair ranks #103,331 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Ince vs incur
Shared letters: cin. Private to "Ince": e. Private to "incur": ru.
"Ince" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "incur" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Ince" and "incur" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Ince" or "incur"?
Remembering Ince vs incur
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Ince”; for a verb, it's “incur”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Ince” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable