incense
/ˈɪnsɛns/
"incense" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“incense” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #20,390 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #20,390
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 7
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt, often used in religious rites or for aesthetic reasons.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | incense |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɪnsɛns/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #20,390 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 7 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “incense” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for incense is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪnsɛns/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,390 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for incense, with forms such as "icnense", "inccense", and "incenes". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "incest", "intense", "inverse", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English encens, from Old French encens (“sweet-smelling substance”) from Late Latin incensum (“burnt incense”, literally “something burnt”), neuter past participle of incendō (“to set on fire”). Compare incendiary. Doublet of incienso. The correct English form is incense, spelled I-N-C-E-N-S-E.
Definition
- 1Biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt, often used in religious rites or for aesthetic reasons.
- 2The fragrant smoke released by burning incense (sense 1).
- 3Homage; adulation.
Etymology
From Middle English encens, from Old French encens (“sweet-smelling substance”) from Late Latin incensum (“burnt incense”, literally “something burnt”), neuter past participle of incendō (“to set on fire”). Compare incendiary. Doublet of incienso.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: icnense,inccense,incenes,incennse,incensse,incesne,incnese,inecnse,inncense,nicense
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of incense - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “incense”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-C-E-N-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɪnsɛns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “incest” - see the side-by-side comparison. incense vs incest
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.