Which to use
“incite” and “incline” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,791
- “incite” frequency rank
- #23,868
- “incline” frequency rank
- 48659
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | incite | incline |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To call into action. | To bend or move (something) out of a given plane or direction, often the horizontal or vertical. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set incite and incline apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. incite (/ɪnˈsaɪt/) and incline (/ɪnˈklaɪn/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48659, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
incite is recorded at frequency rank #24,791, classified as averb, pronounced /ɪnˈsaɪt/. incline is at rank #23,868, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɪnˈklaɪn/.
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 48659, this pair ranks #190,945 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of incite vs incline
Shared letters: cein. Private to "incite": t. Private to "incline": l.
"incite" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "incline" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "incite" and "incline" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "incite" or "incline"?
Remembering incite vs incline
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 “incite” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable