incompetence

noun

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

"incompetence" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“incompetence” has 19 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,500. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,500
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
19
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An inability to perform; a lack of competence; ineptitude.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incompetence · incompetence · English

incompetence · rank #16,500 · 19 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #16,500
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 19 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH insomnia

Nearest frequency peer: insomnia (+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 “incompetence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “incompetence” 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).

incompetence vs incompetent
83% similar

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

Key facts for incompetence
PropertyValue
Headwordincompetence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters12
Frequency rank#16,500
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “incompetence”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “insomnia” (#16,501), “illicit” (#16,498), “interception” (#16,502). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incompetence” is #16,500. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 19 spelling variants around incompetence, anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,500 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An inability to perform; a lack of competence; ineptitude.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for incompetence, with forms such as "icnompetence", "inccompetence", and "incmopetence". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "incompetent", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French incompétence, equivalent to in- + competence. The correct English form is incompetence, spelled I-N-C-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An inability to perform; a lack of competence; ineptitude.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. ... at the head of a crew, too, chiefly made up of mongrel renegades, and castaways, and cannibals--morally enfeebled also, by the incompetence of mere unaided virtue or right-mindedness in Starbuck
  2. Winston did not know why Withers had been disgraced. Perhaps it was for corruption or incompetence. Perhaps Big Brother was merely getting rid of a too-popular subordinate.

Etymology

From French incompétence, equivalent to in- + competence.

This word in other languages

incompetencia(Español)incompétence(Français)Inkompetenz(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • icnompetence
  • inccompetence
  • incmopetence
  • incomeptence
  • incommpetence
  • incompeetnce
  • incompetance
  • incompetecne
  • incompetencce
  • incompetenec
  • incompetennce
  • incompetnece
  • incompettence
  • incomppetence
  • incompteence
  • incopmetence
  • inncompetence
  • inocmpetence
  • nicompetence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

icnompetence2inccompetence1incmopetence2incomeptence2incommpetence1incompeetnce2incompetance1incompetecne2
Edit distance from "incompetence"

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 "incompetence"?
"incompetence" is spelled I-N-C-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-C-E.
What does "incompetence" mean?
As a noun, "incompetence" means: An inability to perform; a lack of competence; ineptitude.
What words are commonly confused with "incompetence"?
"incompetence" is commonly confused with "incompetent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "incompetence"?
From French incompétence, equivalent to in- + competence. 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 "incompetence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

interception#16,502illegitimate#16,497homelessness#16,489correctional#16,441

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (19 here; floor ≥5).

deterioration19 variantsconservatism19 variantsproclamation19 variantsstrategically19 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list