incarcerate

/ɪnˈkɑː.səˌɹeɪt/

//ɪnˈkɑː.səˌɹeɪt// verb

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

"incarcerate" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“incarcerate” is uncommon English (frequency #74,189 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,189
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To lock away; to imprison, especially for breaking the law.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incarcerate · incarcerate · English

incarcerate · rank #74,189 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #74,189
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inapplicable

Nearest frequency peer: inapplicable (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “incarcerate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “incarcerate” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for incarcerate
PropertyValue
Headwordincarcerate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈkɑː.səˌɹeɪt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#74,189
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “incarcerate” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).incarceratefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “inapplicable” (#74,187), “indescribably” (#74,191), “inexact” (#74,192). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incarcerate” is #74,189. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

incarcerate is uncommon English at frequency #74,189 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪnˈkɑː.səˌɹeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for incarcerate, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is first attested in 1528, the verb in 1575; borrowed from Medieval Latin incarcerātus, perfect passive participle of incarcerō (“to imprison”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Latin in- (“in”) + carce… The correct English form is incarcerate, spelled I-N-C-A-R-C-E-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To lock away; to imprison, especially for breaking the law.
  2. 2
    To confine; to shut up or enclose; to hem in.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Tolokonnikova has also been an effective public speaker even while incarcerated, but she has spoken out on politics and freedom in general rather than prisoners’ rights.
  2. In 2021, a judge found that Angola was providing inadequate medical care to its incarcerated population.

Etymology

The adjective is first attested in 1528, the verb in 1575; borrowed from Medieval Latin incarcerātus, perfect passive participle of incarcerō (“to imprison”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Latin in- (“in”) + carcer (“a prison”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Common participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

This word in other languages

encarcelar(Español)incarcérer(Français)einsperren(Deutsch)prender(Português)

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 "incarcerate"?
"incarcerate" is spelled I-N-C-A-R-C-E-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈkɑː.səˌɹeɪt/.
What does "incarcerate" mean?
As a verb, "incarcerate" means: To lock away; to imprison, especially for breaking the law.
How do you pronounce "incarcerate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incarcerate" is /ɪnˈkɑː.səˌɹeɪt/. 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 "incarcerate"?
The adjective is first attested in 1528, the verb in 1575; borrowed from Medieval Latin incarcerātus, perfect passive participle of incarcerō (“to imprison”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Latin in- (“in... 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 "incarcerate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

informality#74,194interregnum#74,198helpfulness#74,164joblessness#74,214

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list