Which to use
“incense” is a noun and “increase” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,390
- “incense” frequency rank
- #877
- “increase” frequency rank
- 21267
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | incense | increase |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt, often used in religious rites or for aesthetic reasons. | (of a quantity, etc.) To become larger or greater, to greaten. |
Where the eye mixes incense and increase
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses incense with increase
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: incense is /ˈɪnsɛns/ while increase is /ɪnˈkɹiːs/. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21267, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
incense is recorded at frequency rank #20,390, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪnsɛns/. increase is at rank #877, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɪnˈkɹiːs/.
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 21267, this pair ranks #425,108 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of incense vs increase
Shared letters: ceins. Private to "incense": -. Private to "increase": ar.
"incense" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "increase" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "incense" and "increase" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "incense" vs "increase" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "incense" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "increase" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #425,108 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "incense" and "increase" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "incense vs incensed". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #425,108 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.