incredulity

/ˌɪnkɹɪˈdjuːlɪti/

//ˌɪnkɹɪˈdjuːlɪti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“incredulity” is uncommon English (frequency #51,178 among 17,902 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,178
frequency rank, English
17,902
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Unwillingness or inability to believe; doubt about the truth or verisimilitude of something; disbelief.

Key facts for incredulity
PropertyValue
Headwordincredulity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪnkɹɪˈdjuːlɪti/
Letters11
Frequency rank#51,178
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “incredulity” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

incredulity is uncommon English at frequency #51,178 among 17,902 “I” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɪnkɹɪˈdjuːlɪti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for incredulity in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested since 1430. From Middle English incredulite, from Old French incredulité, from Late Latin incredulitas, from Latin incredulus (“unbelieving”) + -itas (“-ity”), equivalent to incredulous + -ity. The correct English form is incredulity, spelled I-N-C-R-E-D-U-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unwillingness or inability to believe; doubt about the truth or verisimilitude of something; disbelief.
  2. 2
    Religious disbelief; lack of faith.

Etymology

Attested since 1430. From Middle English incredulite, from Old French incredulité, from Late Latin incredulitas, from Latin incredulus (“unbelieving”) + -itas (“-ity”), equivalent to incredulous + -ity.

Synonyms

incredulousnessincredulosity

Antonyms

credulity

This word in other languages

incredulidad(Español)incrédulité(Français)

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 "incredulity"?
"incredulity" is spelled I-N-C-R-E-D-U-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪnkɹɪˈdjuːlɪti/.
What does "incredulity" mean?
As a noun, "incredulity" means: Unwillingness or inability to believe; doubt about the truth or verisimilitude of something; disbelief.
How do you pronounce "incredulity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incredulity" is /ˌɪnkɹɪˈdjuːlɪti/. 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 "incredulity"?
Attested since 1430. From Middle English incredulite, from Old French incredulité, from Late Latin incredulitas, from Latin incredulus (“unbelieving”) + -itas (“-ity”), equivalent to incredulous + -ity. 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.

Using “incredulity”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-C-R-E-D-U-L-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɪnkɹɪˈdjuːlɪti/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list