incendiary

/ɪnˈsɛn.dɪ.əɹ.i/

//ɪnˈsɛn.dɪ.əɹ.i// adj

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

"incendiary" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“incendiary” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,178. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,178
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Capable of, or used for, or actually causing fire.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incendiary · incendiary · English

incendiary · rank #27,178 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,178
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inactivity

Nearest frequency peer: inactivity (-1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “incendiary”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “incendiary” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for incendiary
PropertyValue
Headwordincendiary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈsɛn.dɪ.əɹ.i/
Letters10
Frequency rank#27,178
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “incendiary”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).incendiarylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “inactivity” (#27,177), “importation” (#27,176), “insistent” (#27,180). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incendiary” is #27,178. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around incendiary (IPA /ɪnˈsɛn.dɪ.əɹ.i/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #27,178 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for incendiary, with forms such as "icnendiary", "inccendiary", and "incedniary". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English incendiarie, from Old French incendiaire, from Latin incendiārius (“setting alight”), from incendium (“destructive fire”), from incendō (“I set on fire, kindle”), from in- (“into, in, on, upon”) + candeō (“I am hot”). The correct English form is incendiary, spelled I-N-C-E-N-D-I-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Capable of, or used for, or actually causing fire.
  2. 2
    Of a damaging fire, intentionally caused rather than accidental.
  3. 3
    Intentionally stirring up strife, riot, rebellion.
  4. 4
    Inflammatory, emotionally charged.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Driving 2-6-2 locomotive No. 4771 Green Arrow, Blunt suddenly noticed that the tunnel mouth was silhouetted in a dazzling white glare and that incendiary bombs were showering down in their hundreds, he slammed on all his brakes and brought his train to a stop just inside the tunnel.
  2. We saw photographs of bodies riddled with pellets from fragmentation bombs or charred by incendiary weapons (besides napalm, the Americans also drop white phosphorus, Thermit, and magnesium on the Vietnamese).

Etymology

From Middle English incendiarie, from Old French incendiaire, from Latin incendiārius (“setting alight”), from incendium (“destructive fire”), from incendō (“I set on fire, kindle”), from in- (“into, in, on, upon”) + candeō (“I am hot”).

This word in other languages

incendiaire(Français)Brand-(Deutsch)inflamado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • icnendiary
  • inccendiary
  • incedniary
  • incendairy
  • incenddiary
  • incendiarry
  • incendiaryy
  • incendiayr
  • incendiray
  • incenidary
  • incenndiary
  • incnediary
  • inecndiary
  • inncendiary
  • nicendiary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of incendiary - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

icnendiary2inccendiary1incedniary2incendairy2incenddiary1incendiarry1incendiaryy1incendiayr2
Edit distance from "incendiary"

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 "incendiary"?
"incendiary" is spelled I-N-C-E-N-D-I-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈsɛn.dɪ.əɹ.i/.
What does "incendiary" mean?
As an adjective, "incendiary" means: Capable of, or used for, or actually causing fire.
What are common misspellings of "incendiary"?
Common misspellings include "icnendiary", "inccendiary", "incedniary", "incendairy", "incenddiary". The correct spelling is "incendiary".
How do you pronounce "incendiary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incendiary" is /ɪnˈsɛn.dɪ.əɹ.i/. 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 "incendiary"?
From Middle English incendiarie, from Old French incendiaire, from Latin incendiārius (“setting alight”), from incendium (“destructive fire”), from incendō (“I set on fire, kindle”), from in- (“into, in, on, upon”) + candeō (“I am hot”). 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 "incendiary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

inactivity#27,177impediment#27,175liturgical#27,199fractional#27,152

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

delicately15 variantsdefenseless15 variantsconvoluted15 variantscompendium15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list