incongruous

/ɪnˈkɒn.ɡɹʊu.ʌs/

//ɪnˈkɒn.ɡɹʊu.ʌs// adj

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

"incongruous" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“incongruous” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,200. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,200
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not similar or congruent; not matching or fitting in.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incongruous · incongruous · English

incongruous · rank #42,200 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,200
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH indio

Nearest frequency peer: indio (+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 “incongruous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “incongruous” 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
Key facts for incongruous
PropertyValue
Headwordincongruous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈkɒn.ɡɹʊu.ʌs/
Letters11
Frequency rank#42,200
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “incongruous”

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).incongruouslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “indio” (#42,201), “inalienable” (#42,198), “impurity” (#42,196). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incongruous” is #42,200. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around incongruous (IPA /ɪnˈkɒn.ɡɹʊu.ʌs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #42,200 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for incongruous, with forms such as "icnongruous", "inccongruous", and "incnogruous". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin incongruus, from in- (“not”) + congruus (“congruent”), equivalent to in- + congruous. The correct English form is incongruous, spelled I-N-C-O-N-G-R-U-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not similar or congruent; not matching or fitting in.
  2. 2
    Of two numbers, with respect to a third, such that their difference can not be divided by it without a remainder.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [P]erhaps he thought me, with my basket of summer fruit, and my lack of the dignity age confers, an incongruous figure in such a scene.
  2. Ona was blue-eyed and fair, while Jurgis had great black eyes with beetling brows, and thick black hair that curled in waves about his ears—in short, they were one of those incongruous and impossible married couples with which Mother Nature so often wills to confound all prophets.

Etymology

From Latin incongruus, from in- (“not”) + congruus (“congruent”), equivalent to in- + congruous.

Synonyms

incongruitous

This word in other languages

incongruente(Español)incongru(Français)unpassend(Deutsch)incongruente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • icnongruous
  • inccongruous
  • incnogruous
  • incognruous
  • inconggruous
  • incongrouus
  • incongrruous
  • incongruosu
  • incongruouss
  • incongruuos
  • incongurous
  • inconngruous
  • inconrguous
  • inncongruous
  • inocngruous
  • nicongruous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

icnongruous2inccongruous1incnogruous2incognruous2inconggruous1incongrouus2incongrruous1incongruosu2
Edit distance from "incongruous"

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 "incongruous"?
"incongruous" is spelled I-N-C-O-N-G-R-U-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈkɒn.ɡɹʊu.ʌs/.
What does "incongruous" mean?
As an adjective, "incongruous" means: Not similar or congruent; not matching or fitting in.
What are common misspellings of "incongruous"?
Common misspellings include "icnongruous", "inccongruous", "incnogruous", "incognruous", "inconggruous". The correct spelling is "incongruous".
How do you pronounce "incongruous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incongruous" is /ɪnˈkɒn.ɡɹʊu.ʌs/. 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 "incongruous"?
From Latin incongruus, from in- (“not”) + congruus (“congruent”), equivalent to in- + congruous. 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 "incongruous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

inalienable#42,198interleukin#42,209irreducible#42,213glutathione#42,158

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

hyperspace16 variantsHildebrand16 variantsheadstrong16 variantsglyphosate16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list