inadequacy
/ɪˈnædɪkwəsi/noun
inadequacy is spelled I-N-A-D-E-Q-U-A-C-Y: 10 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, inadequacy means “The state of being inadequate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of inadequacy is inadequacies.
How many letters and syllables are in inadequacy?
| Letters | 10: I-N-A-D-E-Q-U-A-C-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,459th 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 inadequacy?
Inadequacy appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th 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 inadequacy?
- /ɪˈnædɪkwəsi/
- /ɪˈnædəkwəsi/
Inadequacy has 5 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-inadequacy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of inadequacy
- inadequacies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does inadequacy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state of being inadequate.
sense of inadequacy
- 2
A shortage of required material.
- 3
A lack of competence or ability.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Inadequacy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Unzulänglichkeit , Materialmangel , Ungenügen |
| Portuguese | inadequação |
| Spanish | inadecuación |
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 inadequacy come from?
From inadequate + -cy or in- + adequacy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).