inaction
/ɪnˈækʃən/noun
inaction is spelled I-N-A-C-T-I-O-N: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,463rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, inaction means “Lack of action or activity or labor” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of inaction is inactions.
How many letters and syllables are in inaction?
| Letters | 8: I-N-A-C-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 24,463rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is inaction?
Inaction appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,463rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce inaction?
- /ɪnˈækʃən/
Inaction has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-inaction.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with inaction
Also written: in action (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of inaction
- inactions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does inaction mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Lack of action or activity or labor
The school's inaction further sanctions this misbehavior.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Inaction in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense lack of action or activity:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | inaction |
| German | Untätigkeit, Tatenlosigkeit, Trägheit, Nichtstun |
| Portuguese | inação |
| Spanish | inacción |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does inaction come from?
From French inaction. Morphologically in- + action.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).