incommunicado

[ɪnkəmjunɨˈkɑːdoʊ]

/[ɪnkəmjunɨˈkɑːdoʊ]/ adj

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

"incommunicado" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“incommunicado” is uncommon English (frequency #75,987 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,987
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a state or condition of inability or unwillingness to communicate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incommunicado · incommunicado · English

incommunicado · rank #75,987 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,987
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH impulsiveness

Nearest frequency peer: impulsiveness (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “incommunicado”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for incommunicado
PropertyValue
Headwordincommunicado
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ɪnkəmjunɨˈkɑːdoʊ]
Letters13
Frequency rank#75,987
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “incommunicado” in English

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).incommunicadofalls 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: “impulsiveness” (#75,986), “Indic” (#75,988), “impermanent” (#75,985). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incommunicado” is #75,987. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

incommunicado is uncommon English at frequency #75,987 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ɪnkəmjunɨˈkɑːdoʊ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In a state or condition of inability or unwillingness to communicate.".

Zero misspellings are on record for incommunicado in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish incomunicado, with spelling influenced by such English words as communicate. The correct English form is incommunicado, spelled I-N-C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-D-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    In a state or condition of inability or unwillingness to communicate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The father of a woman living in the incommunicado world of the Big Brother house in Australia has died but his daughter has not been told.
  2. As the storm, described by the National Hurricane Center as “potentially catastrophic,” moved toward the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Tuesday, little could be learned about the conditions on Dominica. By early Tuesday morning, phone and internet signals on Dominica appeared to be down, leaving the island virtually incommunicado.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish incomunicado, with spelling influenced by such English words as communicate.

This word in other languages

incomunicado(Español)isoliert(Deutsch)

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 "incommunicado"?
"incommunicado" is spelled I-N-C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-D-O. The IPA pronunciation is [ɪnkəmjunɨˈkɑːdoʊ].
What does "incommunicado" mean?
As an adjective, "incommunicado" means: In a state or condition of inability or unwillingness to communicate.
How do you pronounce "incommunicado"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incommunicado" is [ɪnkəmjunɨˈkɑːdoʊ]. 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 "incommunicado"?
Borrowed from Spanish incomunicado, with spelling influenced by such English words as communicate. 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 "incommunicado", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

impulsiveness#75,986inflexibility#75,991functionalism#75,892dysregulation#75,825

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list