incredulous

/ɪnˈkɹɛdjʊləs/

//ɪnˈkɹɛdjʊləs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“incredulous” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,616. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,616
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Skeptical, disbelieving, or unable to believe.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incredulous · incredulous · English

incredulous · rank #36,616 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,616
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH implosion

Nearest frequency peer: implosion (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “incredulous”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “incredulous” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for incredulous
PropertyValue
Headwordincredulous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈkɹɛdjʊləs/
Letters11
Frequency rank#36,616
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “incredulous”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “implosion” (#36,615), “imperfection” (#36,614), “intensification” (#36,618). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incredulous” is #36,616. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around incredulous (IPA /ɪnˈkɹɛdjʊləs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #36,616 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for incredulous, with forms such as "icnredulous", "inccredulous", and "incerdulous". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin incrēdulus (“unbelieving”). The correct English form is incredulous, spelled I-N-C-R-E-D-U-L-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Skeptical, disbelieving, or unable to believe.
  2. 2
    Expressing or indicative of incredulity.
  3. 3
    Difficult to believe; incredible.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Xodar listened in incredulous astonishment to my narration of the events which had transpired within the arena at the rites of Issus.
  2. In safe flats and dark restaurants, never the same one twice, we ate quiet meals, exchanged our goods and gazed upon each other with the incredulous contentment that passes between mountaineers when they are standing on the peak.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin incrēdulus (“unbelieving”).

This word in other languages

incrédulo(Español)incrédule(Français)ungläubig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • icnredulous
  • inccredulous
  • incerdulous
  • incrdeulous
  • increddulous
  • incredluous
  • incredullous
  • incredulosu
  • incredulouss
  • increduluos
  • increduolus
  • increudlous
  • incrredulous
  • inncredulous
  • inrcedulous
  • nicredulous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of incredulous - 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.

icnredulous2inccredulous1incerdulous2incrdeulous2increddulous1incredluous2incredullous1incredulosu2
Edit distance from "incredulous"

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 "incredulous"?
"incredulous" is spelled I-N-C-R-E-D-U-L-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈkɹɛdjʊləs/.
What does "incredulous" mean?
As an adjective, "incredulous" means: Skeptical, disbelieving, or unable to believe.
What are common misspellings of "incredulous"?
Common misspellings include "icnredulous", "inccredulous", "incerdulous", "incrdeulous", "increddulous". The correct spelling is "incredulous".
How do you pronounce "incredulous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incredulous" is /ɪnˈkɹɛdjʊləs/. 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 "incredulous"?
Borrowed from Latin incrēdulus (“unbelieving”). 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 "incredulous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

hemorrhagic#36,601hearthstone#36,596Lewandowski#36,641gestational#36,578

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

Huntingdon16 variantsGermantown16 variantsdescriptor16 variantsdefensible16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list