incidence

/ˈɪn.sɪ.dəns/

//ˈɪn.sɪ.dəns// noun

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

"incidence" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“incidence” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,258. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,258
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of something happening; occurrence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incidence · incidence · English

incidence · rank #12,258 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,258
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH ICC

Nearest frequency peer: ICC (-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 “incidence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “incidence” 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).

incidence vs incident
78% similar
incidence vs incidents
78% similar

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

Key facts for incidence
PropertyValue
Headwordincidence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪn.sɪ.dəns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#12,258
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “incidence”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).incidencelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “ICC” (#12,257), “intimacy” (#12,259), “Hawkins” (#12,254). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incidence” is #12,258. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around incidence (IPA /ˈɪn.sɪ.dəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,258 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for incidence, with forms such as "icnidence", "inccidence", and "incdience". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "incident", "incidents", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French incidence, from Medieval Latin incidentia (“a falling upon”), from Latin incidens, present participle of incidere (“to fall upon”), from in (“on”) + cadere (“to fall”). The correct English form is incidence, spelled I-N-C-I-D-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of something happening; occurrence.
  2. 2
    The extent or the relative frequency of something happening.
  3. 3
    The manner of falling; bearing or onus, as of a tax that falls unequally.
  4. 4
    The striking of radiation or a projectile upon a surface.
  5. 5
    A measure of the rate of new occurrence of a given medical condition in a population within a specified period of time.
  6. 6
    The falling of a point on a line, or a line on a plane.
  7. 7
    The relation between an edge of a graph and one of the vertices it connects.

Etymology

From Middle French incidence, from Medieval Latin incidentia (“a falling upon”), from Latin incidens, present participle of incidere (“to fall upon”), from in (“on”) + cadere (“to fall”).

This word in other languages

incidencia(Español)Auftreten(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • icnidence
  • inccidence
  • incdience
  • incidance
  • inciddence
  • incidecne
  • incidencce
  • incidenec
  • incidennce
  • incidnece
  • inciednce
  • inicdence
  • inncidence
  • nicidence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of incidence - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

icnidence2inccidence1incdience2incidance1inciddence1incidecne2incidencce1incidenec2
Edit distance from "incidence"

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 "incidence"?
"incidence" is spelled I-N-C-I-D-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.sɪ.dəns/.
What does "incidence" mean?
As a noun, "incidence" means: The act of something happening; occurrence.
What words are commonly confused with "incidence"?
"incidence" is commonly confused with "incident", "incidents". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "incidence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incidence" is /ˈɪn.sɪ.dəns/. 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 "incidence"?
From Middle French incidence, from Medieval Latin incidentia (“a falling upon”), from Latin incidens, present participle of incidere (“to fall upon”), from in (“on”) + cadere (“to fall”). 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 "incidence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

goodnight#12,250mythology#12,282enhancing#12,233deposited#12,222

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

electorate14 variantsplausible14 variantsculturally14 variantsquarantine14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list