incantation
/ɪnkænˈteɪʃən/noun
incantation is spelled I-N-C-A-N-T-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, incantation means “The act or process of using formulas and/or usually rhyming words, sung or spoken, with occult ceremonies, for the purpose of raising spirits…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of incantation is incantations.
How many letters and syllables are in incantation?
| Letters | 11: I-N-C-A-N-T-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,368th 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 incantation?
Incantation appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th 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 incantation?
- /ɪnkænˈteɪʃən/
Incantation has 4 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: En-au-incantation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of incantation
- incantations plural
- encantation
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does incantation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act or process of using formulas and/or usually rhyming words, sung or spoken, with occult ceremonies, for the purpose of raising spirits, producing enchantment, or creating other magical results.
- 2
A formula of words used as above.
- 3
slangAny esoteric command or procedure.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Incantation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | incantation |
| Spanish | incantación, encantación (desus.), encantamiento, encantorio, encantamento |
| German | Beschwörung |
| Portuguese | feitiço |
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 incantation come from?
From Middle English incantacioun, from Old French incantation, from Latin incantatio. More at enchant.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).