Which to use
“incision” and “incursion” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,566
- “incision” frequency rank
- #30,842
- “incursion” frequency rank
- 54408
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | incision | incursion |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A cut, especially one made by a scalpel or similar medical tool in the context of surgical operation; the scar resulting from such a cut. | A military action consisting of armed forces of one geopolitical entity entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of destruction, plunder, or bodily harm rather than an intent to conquer territory or alter the established government; contrast invasion in its narrow sense. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set incision and incursion apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
incision and incursion form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54408, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
incision is recorded at frequency rank #23,566, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɪnˈsɪʒən/. incursion is at rank #30,842, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɪŋˈkɜː(ɹ)ʒən/.
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 54408, this pair ranks #141,304 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "incision" and "incursion" be used interchangeably?
Remembering incision vs incursion
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “incision” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable