incentive
in·cen·tive/ɪnˈsɛntɪv/noun, adjective
incentive is spelled I-N-C-E-N-T-I-V-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables (in·cen·tive). It appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, incentive means “Something that motivates, rouses, or encourages” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of incentive is incentives.
How many letters and syllables are in incentive?
| Letters | 9: I-N-C-E-N-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: in·cen·tive |
| In writing | 9.3 times per million words; the 7,445th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is incentive?
Incentive appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th 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 incentive?
- /ɪnˈsɛntɪv/
Incentive has 3 syllables, split in·cen·tive in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-incentive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of incentive
- incentives plural
- more incentive comparative
- most incentive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does incentive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Something that motivates, rouses, or encourages.
I have no incentive to do housework right now.
- 2
A bonus or reward, often monetary, to work harder.
Management offered the sales team a $500 incentive for each car sold.
adjective
- 1
Inciting; encouraging or moving; rousing to action; stimulating.
- 2
Serving to kindle or set on fire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Incentive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | intérêt, motivation, incitant , récompense, prime |
| German | Anreiz, Ansporn, Incentive , Bonus |
| Portuguese | incentivo, motivação |
| Spanish | incentivo, aliciente |
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 incentive come from?
From Medieval Latin incentīvus (“that strikes up or sets the tune”), from incinō (“to strike up”), from in- (“in, on”) + canō (“to sing”) + -ive. The formation appears to have been influenced by incendō (“to set on fire”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).