incrustation

/ɪnkɹʌsˈteɪʃən/

//ɪnkɹʌsˈteɪʃən// noun

"incrustation" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“incrustation” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of incrusting, or the state of being incrusted.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incrustation · incrustation · English

incrustation · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "I" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for incrustation
PropertyValue
Headwordincrustation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪnkɹʌsˈteɪʃən/
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “incrustation” in English

incrustationfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

incrustation is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪnkɹʌsˈteɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for incrustation, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin incrustātiō. The correct English form is incrustation, spelled I-N-C-R-U-S-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of incrusting, or the state of being incrusted.
  2. 2
    A crust or hard coating of anything upon or within a body, as a deposit of lime, sediment, etc., from water on the inner surface of a steam boiler.
  3. 3
    A covering or inlaying of marble, mosaic, etc., attached to the masonry by cramp irons or cement.
  4. 4
    Anything inlaid or embedded.
  5. 5
    An accumulated characteristic of a person that disguises their true nature.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Her reception of her brother was most affectionate—there are times when the most artificial, by habit, become natural; when the early memories of the heart, for a short time at least, spring up as a fountain of living waters, overflowing the selfish vanities and conventional incrustations which the world has planted—giving honest smiles to the countenance…

Etymology

From Latin incrustātiō.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "incrustation"?
"incrustation" is spelled I-N-C-R-U-S-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnkɹʌsˈteɪʃən/.
What does "incrustation" mean?
As a noun, "incrustation" means: The act of incrusting, or the state of being incrusted.
How do you pronounce "incrustation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incrustation" is /ɪnkɹʌsˈteɪʃən/. 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 "incrustation"?
From Latin incrustātiō. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list