English Word Reference Free

incase

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "incase", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "incase" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "incase" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

incase is aEnglishverb. It means: Alternative spelling of encase. Often confused with Ince and income.

Key facts for incase
PropertyValue
Headwordincase
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters6
Frequency rank#32,855
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of incase in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for incase is 6 letters long, classified as averb. Corpus data places it at rank #32,855 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Alternative spelling of encase.".

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 8 documented wrong-spelling variants for incase, with forms such as "icnase", "inacse", and "incaes". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "Ince", "income", "insane", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From in- + case. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is incase, spelled I-N-C-A-S-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alternative spelling of encase.

Etymology

From in- + case.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: icnase,inacse,incaes,incasse,inccase,incsae,inncase,nicase

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for incase

Misspelling Variants of "incase"

icnase6inacse6incaes6incasse7inccase7incsae6inncase7nicase6
Misspelling Variants of "incase"

Frequency rank: #32,855 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "incase"?
"incase" is spelled I-N-C-A-S-E.
What does "incase" mean?
As a verb, "incase" means: Alternative spelling of encase.
What words are commonly confused with "incase"?
"incase" is commonly confused with "Ince", "income", "insane". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "incase"?
From in- + case. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter I in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.