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 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,178
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unwillingness or inability to believe; doubt about the truth or verisimilitude of something; disbelief.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incredulity · incredulity · English

incredulity · rank #51,178 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,178
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inducement

Nearest frequency peer: inducement (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “incredulity”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “incredulity” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for incredulity
PropertyValue
Headwordincredulity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪnkɹɪˈdjuːlɪti/
Letters11
Frequency rank#51,178
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “incredulity” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).incredulityfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “inducement” (#51,179), “imploring” (#51,176), “infomercial” (#51,180). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incredulity” is #51,178. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

incredulity is uncommon English at frequency #51,178 among 2,140 “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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Wide went her eyes in wonder and incredulity, as she beheld this seeming apparition risen from the dead.
  2. It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "incredulity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

infomercial#51,180hydrostatic#51,168misbehavior#51,255econometric#51,079

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list