incendiary
/ɪnˈsɛn.di.ɛɹ.i/adjective, noun
incendiary is spelled I-N-C-E-N-D-I-A-R-Y: 10 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, incendiary means “Capable of, or used for, or actually causing fire” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in incendiary?
| Letters | 10: I-N-C-E-N-D-I-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,150th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is incendiary?
Incendiary appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th 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 incendiary?
- UK /ɪnˈsɛn.dɪ.əɹ.i/
- UK /ɪnˈsɛn.djəɹ.i/
- US /ɪnˈsɛn.di.ɛɹ.i/
Incendiary 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: En-us-incendiary.ogg, En-us-incendiary-2.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with incendiary?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as incendiary from its last stressed vowel (/ɛndiɛɹi/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of incendiary
- more incendiary comparative
- most incendiary superlative
- incendiaries plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does incendiary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Capable of, or used for, or actually causing fire.
- 2
Of a damaging fire, intentionally caused rather than accidental.
- 3
Intentionally stirring up strife, riot, rebellion.
- 4
Inflammatory, emotionally charged.
Politics is an incendiary topic; it tends to cause fights to break out.
noun
- 1
Something capable of causing fire, particularly a weapon.
The military used incendiaries to destroy the building. Fortunately, the fire didn't spread.
- 2
One who maliciously sets fires.
- 3
One who excites or inflames factions into quarrels.
March 7, 1692, Richard Bentley, The Folly of Atheism Several cities […] drove them out as incendiaries.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Incendiary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | incendiaire |
| German | Brand-, entzündlich, entflammbar , aufrührerisch, aufwieglerisch, hetzerisch |
| Portuguese | incendiário , inflamado, acalorado |
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 incendiary come from?
From Middle English incendiarie, from Old French incendiaire, from Latin incendiārius (“setting alight”), from incendium (“destructive fire”), from incendō (“to set on fire, kindle”), from in- (“into, in, on, upon”) + candeō (“to be hot”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).