incontinence
/ɪnˈkɒntɪnəns/noun
incontinence is spelled I-N-C-O-N-T-I-N-E-N-C-E: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, incontinence means “Lack of self-restraint, an inability to control oneself; unchastity” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of incontinence is incontinences.
How many letters and syllables are in incontinence?
| Letters | 12: I-N-C-O-N-T-I-N-E-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,974th 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 incontinence?
Incontinence appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th 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 incontinence?
- UK /ɪnˈkɒntɪnəns/
Incontinence 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)-Wodencafe-incontinence.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of incontinence
- incontinences plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does incontinence mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
datedLack of self-restraint, an inability to control oneself; unchastity.
verbal incontinence
- 2
The inability of any of the physical organs to restrain discharges of their contents; involuntary discharge or evacuation (of urine or feces).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Incontinence in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | incontinence |
| German | Zügellosigkeit, Hemmungslosigkeit , Inkontinenz |
| Portuguese | incontinência |
| Spanish | incontinencia |
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 incontinence come from?
From Middle English incontinence, from Old French incontinence or its etymon Latin incontinentia. Doublet of incontinency.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).