increment
/ˈɪŋkɹɪmn̩t/
"increment" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“increment” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #30,457 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #30,457
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The action of increasing or becoming greater.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | increment |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɪŋkɹɪmn̩t/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #30,457 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “increment” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for increment is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪŋkɹɪmn̩t/. Corpus data places it at rank #30,457 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for increment, with forms such as "icnrement", "inccrement", and "incerment". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "incremental", "inclement", "incitement", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English encrement, increment, from Latin incrēmentum, from incrēscō (whence increase), from in- + crēscō (“grow”). Equivalent to increase + -ment. The correct English form is increment, spelled I-N-C-R-E-M-E-N-T.
Definition
- 1The action of increasing or becoming greater.
- 2The amount of increase.
- 3An amplification without strict climax, as in the following passage: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, […] think on these things."
- 4The amount of time added to a player's clock after each move.
- 5A syllable in excess of the number of the nominative singular or the second-person singular present indicative.
Etymology
From Middle English encrement, increment, from Latin incrēmentum, from incrēscō (whence increase), from in- + crēscō (“grow”). Equivalent to increase + -ment.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: icnrement,inccrement,incerment,increemnt,incremennt,incrementt,incremetn,incremment,incremnet,incrmeent,incrrement,inncrement,inrcement,nicrement
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of increment - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "increment"?
What does "increment" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "increment"?
How do you pronounce "increment"?
What is the origin of the word "increment"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “increment”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-C-R-E-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɪŋkɹɪmn̩t/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “incremental” - see the side-by-side comparison. increment vs incremental
- 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.