Skip to main content
PlainSpell

incense

/ˈɪnsɛn(t)s/noun, verb

incense is spelled I-N-C-E-N-S-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, incense means “Biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt, often used in religious rites or for aesthetic reasons” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of incense is incenses.

How many letters and syllables are in incense?

Letters7: I-N-C-E-N-S-E
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing1.9 times per million words; the 20,356th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

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).

How common is incense?

Incense appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th 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 incense?

  • /ˈɪnsɛn(t)s/

As a verb (“To set on fire; to inflame; to kindle; to burn”): /ˈɪnsɛn(t)s/, /ɪnˈsɛns/.

Incense has 2 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-incense-noun.ogg, En-us-incense-verb.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of incense

  • incenses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • incensing participle, present
  • incensed participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does incense mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt, often used in religious rites or for aesthetic reasons.

  2. 2

    The fragrant smoke released by burning incense (sense 1).

  3. 3

    Homage; adulation.

verb

  1. 1

    obsoleteTo set on fire; to inflame; to kindle; to burn.

  2. 2

    To anger; to infuriate.

    I think it would incense him to learn the truth.

  3. 3

    archaicTo incite; to stimulate.

  4. 4

    To offer incense to.

  5. 5

    To perfume with, or as with, incense.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Incense in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchencens (material burnt for fragrant smoke)
GermanWeihrauch, Räuchwerk (material burnt for fragrant smoke), empören, erzürnen, aufbringen (anger, infuriate)
Portugueseincenso (material burnt for fragrant smoke)
Spanishincienso, sahumerio, sahúmo (material burnt for fragrant smoke), enchilar, encolerizar, enfurecer (anger, infuriate)

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 incense come from?

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. Displaced native Old English rēcels.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after incense