entice

/ɪnˈtaɪs/

//ɪnˈtaɪs// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"entice" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“entice” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,825. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,825
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To lure; to attract by arousing desire or hope.

Corpus desk

Index EN-entice · entice · English

entice · rank #23,825 · 8 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,825
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH enchanting

Nearest frequency peer: enchanting (-2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “entice”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “entice” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

entice vs entre
67% similar
entice vs entire
83% similar
entice vs entity
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for entice
PropertyValue
Headwordentice
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈtaɪs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#23,825
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “entice”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).enticelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “enchanting” (#23,823), “exalted” (#23,828), “Emilia” (#23,821). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “entice” is #23,825. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around entice (IPA /ɪnˈtaɪs/), averb. Corpus frequency is #23,825 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To lure; to attract by arousing desire or hope.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for entice, with forms such as "enitce", "enntice", and "entcie". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "entre", "entire", "entity", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English enticen, from Old French enticier (“to stir up or excite”), from a Vulgar Latin *intitiāre (“I set on fire”), from in- + titiō (“firebrand (tool)”), from Proto-Italic *tītjō (“heating”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *teih₁- (“to bec… The correct English form is entice, spelled E-N-T-I-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To lure; to attract by arousing desire or hope.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how entice appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. I enticed the little bear into the trap with a pot of honey.
  2. Blackboard sketches, geological maps, diagrams of molecular structure, astronomical photographs, MRI images, the many varieties of statistical charts and graphs: These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story. And, on top of all that, they are ornaments; they entice and intrigue and so…

Etymology

From Middle English enticen, from Old French enticier (“to stir up or excite”), from a Vulgar Latin *intitiāre (“I set on fire”), from in- + titiō (“firebrand (tool)”), from Proto-Italic *tītjō (“heating”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *teih₁- (“to become hot, melt or to end”).

This word in other languages

incitar(Español)appâter(Français)locken(Deutsch)incitar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • enitce
  • enntice
  • entcie
  • enticce
  • entiec
  • enttice
  • etnice
  • netice

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of entice - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

enitce2enntice1entcie2enticce1entiec2enttice1etnice2netice2
Edit distance from "entice"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "entice"?
"entice" is spelled E-N-T-I-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈtaɪs/.
What does "entice" mean?
As a verb, "entice" means: To lure; to attract by arousing desire or hope.
What words are commonly confused with "entice"?
"entice" is commonly confused with "entre", "entire", "entity". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "entice"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "entice" is /ɪnˈtaɪs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "entice"?
From Middle English enticen, from Old French enticier (“to stir up or excite”), from a Vulgar Latin *intitiāre (“I set on fire”), from in- + titiō (“firebrand (tool)”), from Proto-Italic *tītjō (“heating”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *teih₁... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "entice", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Emilia#23,821Fenton#23,831edging#23,816Goethe#23,845

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

gents8 variantsgrunt8 variantscurvy8 variantscults8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list