incest

/ˈɪn.sɛst/

//ˈɪn.sɛst// noun

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

"incest" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“incest” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,108. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,108
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sexual relations between close relatives, especially immediate family members and sometimes first cousins, usually considered taboo.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incest · incest · English

incest · rank #18,108 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,108
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH incarceration

Nearest frequency peer: incarceration (-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 “incest”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “incest” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

incest vs inlet
67% similar
incest vs inept
67% similar
incest vs inert
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for incest
PropertyValue
Headwordincest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪn.sɛst/
Letters6
Frequency rank#18,108
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “incest”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).incestlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “incarceration” (#18,107), “infect” (#18,109), “implements” (#18,106). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incest” is #18,108. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around incest (IPA /ˈɪn.sɛst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,108 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for incest, with forms such as "icnest", "inccest", and "incesst". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "inlet", "inept", "inert", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin incestus. Displaced Old English mǣġhǣmed (literally “relative-sex”). Doublet of inchaste. The correct English form is incest, spelled I-N-C-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sexual relations between close relatives, especially immediate family members and sometimes first cousins, usually considered taboo.
  2. 2
    Romantic relationships between close relatives, also widely taboo.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Genetic problems caused by incest are thought to have plagued many royal families in the Middle Ages.
  2. For a structuralist like Edmund Leach, the structure is the meaning. Genesis, for example, is about incest taboos; all the rest is noise and mystification.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin incestus. Displaced Old English mǣġhǣmed (literally “relative-sex”). Doublet of inchaste.

This word in other languages

incesto(Español)inceste(Français)Inzest(Deutsch)incesto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • icnest
  • inccest
  • incesst
  • incestt
  • incets
  • incset
  • inecst
  • inncest
  • nicest

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of incest - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

icnest2inccest1incesst1incestt1incets2incset2inecst2inncest1
Edit distance from "incest"

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 "incest"?
"incest" is spelled I-N-C-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.sɛst/.
What does "incest" mean?
As a noun, "incest" means: Sexual relations between close relatives, especially immediate family members and sometimes first cousins, usually considered taboo.
What words are commonly confused with "incest"?
"incest" is commonly confused with "inlet", "inept", "inert". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "incest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incest" is /ˈɪn.sɛst/. 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 "incest"?
Learned borrowing from Latin incestus. Displaced Old English mǣġhǣmed (literally “relative-sex”). Doublet of inchaste. 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 "incest", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

infect#18,109Horton#18,102hippie#18,100herbal#18,098

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

idiotic9 variantsJoaquin9 variantsLowers9 variantsgiggles9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list