incontinence
/ɪnˈkɒntɪnəns/
"incontinence" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“incontinence” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #32,041 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #32,041
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 19
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lack of self-restraint, an inability to control oneself; unchastity.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | incontinence |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪnˈkɒntɪnəns/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #32,041 |
| Misspellings tracked | 19 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “incontinence” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for incontinence is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈkɒntɪnəns/. Corpus data places it at rank #32,041 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for incontinence, with forms such as "icnontinence", "inccontinence", and "incnotinence". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English incontinence, from Old French incontinence, from Latin incontinentia. The correct English form is incontinence, spelled I-N-C-O-N-T-I-N-E-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1Lack of self-restraint, an inability to control oneself; unchastity.
- 2The inability of any of the physical organs to restrain discharges of their contents; involuntary discharge or evacuation (of urine or feces).
Etymology
From Middle English incontinence, from Old French incontinence, from Latin incontinentia.
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: icnontinence,inccontinence,incnotinence,inconitnence,inconntinence,incontiennce,incontinance,incontinecne,incontinencce,incontinenec,incontinennce,incontinnece,incontinnence,incontnience,inconttinence,incotninence,inncontinence,inocntinence,nicontinence
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of incontinence - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "incontinence"?
What does "incontinence" mean?
What are common misspellings of "incontinence"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “incontinence”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-C-O-N-T-I-N-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈkɒntɪnəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.