incinerate

/ɪnˈsɪnəɹeɪt/

//ɪnˈsɪnəɹeɪt// verb

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

"incinerate" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“incinerate” is uncommon English (frequency #64,439 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,439
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To destroy by burning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incinerate · incinerate · English

incinerate · rank #64,439 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,439
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH imago

Nearest frequency peer: imago (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “incinerate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “incinerate” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for incinerate
PropertyValue
Headwordincinerate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈsɪnəɹeɪt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#64,439
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “incinerate” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “imago” (#64,437), “indictable” (#64,441), “imaginatively” (#64,436). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incinerate” is #64,439. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

incinerate is uncommon English at frequency #64,439 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪnˈsɪnəɹeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for incinerate in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin incinerātus, perfect participle of incinerō (“to burn into ashes”), from cinis (“ashes”). The correct English form is incinerate, spelled I-N-C-I-N-E-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To destroy by burning.
  2. 2
    To annihilate (not necessarily by burning).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His mother was incinerated in the Dresden fire-storm. So it goes.
  2. A cloud of smoke from two pounds of methamphetamine seized by the FBI and incinerated inside a Montana animal shelter sent its workers to the hospital, city officials in Billings said.

Etymology

From Latin incinerātus, perfect participle of incinerō (“to burn into ashes”), from cinis (“ashes”).

Synonyms

burnburn awayburn downburn upburn to a crispchar upcindercremateforburnforswealincineratescathetorch

Antonyms

extinguishsalvagesave

This word in other languages

incinerar(Español)incinérer(Français)verbrennen(Deutsch)incinerar(Português)

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 "incinerate"?
"incinerate" is spelled I-N-C-I-N-E-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈsɪnəɹeɪt/.
What does "incinerate" mean?
As a verb, "incinerate" means: To destroy by burning.
How do you pronounce "incinerate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incinerate" is /ɪnˈsɪnəɹeɪt/. 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 "incinerate"?
From Latin incinerātus, perfect participle of incinerō (“to burn into ashes”), from cinis (“ashes”). 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 "incinerate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

indictable#64,441highwayman#64,424jackhammer#64,455heptathlon#64,420

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list