inconsistent
/ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt/adjective
inconsistent is spelled I-N-C-O-N-S-I-S-T-E-N-T: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 6.2 times per million words in written English, the 9,735th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, inconsistent means “Not compatible (with another thing); incompatible, discrepant, at odds” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in inconsistent?
| Letters | 12: I-N-C-O-N-S-I-S-T-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.2 times per million words; the 9,735th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is inconsistent?
Inconsistent appears 6.2 times per million words in written English, the 9,735th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce inconsistent?
- /ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt/
Inconsistent has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-inconsistent.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-inconsistent.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of inconsistent
- more inconsistent comparative
- most inconsistent superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does inconsistent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not compatible (with another thing); incompatible, discrepant, at odds.
His account of the evening was inconsistent with the security-camera footage.
- 2
Lacking internal consistency; self-contradicting; not compatible with itself.
He gave an inconsistent account of the evening, saying he called her before eight, but later that he had not talked to her until after nine.
- 3
Not consistent or coherent in thought or behavior.
- 4
Having the property that a contradiction can be derived.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Inconsistent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | nicht kompatibel (mit), nicht vereinbar (mit), fremd , inkonsistent, widersprüchlich, stimmt nicht überein |
| French | incohérent, incompatible |
| Portuguese | inconsistente |
| Spanish | inconsistente, inconsecuente |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does inconsistent come from?
From in- + consistent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).