incubate

/ˈɪŋkjʊbeɪt/

//ˈɪŋkjʊbeɪt// verb

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

"incubate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“incubate” is uncommon English (frequency #55,513 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,513
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To brood, raise, or maintain eggs, organisms, or living tissue through the provision of ideal environmental conditions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incubate · incubate · English

incubate · rank #55,513 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,513
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH incorruptible

Nearest frequency peer: incorruptible (-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 “incubate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for incubate
PropertyValue
Headwordincubate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɪŋkjʊbeɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#55,513
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “incubate” 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).incubatefalls 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: “incorruptible” (#55,512), “ineffectiveness” (#55,514), “incontrovertible” (#55,511). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incubate” is #55,513. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

incubate is uncommon English at frequency #55,513 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɪŋkjʊbeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for incubate, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1641; borrowed from Latin incubātus, an alternative to incubitus, perfect passive participle of incubō (“to hatch”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (“in”) + cubō (“to lie”). The correct English form is incubate, spelled I-N-C-U-B-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To brood, raise, or maintain eggs, organisms, or living tissue through the provision of ideal environmental conditions.
  2. 2
    To incubate metaphorically; to ponder an idea slowly and deliberately as if in preparation for hatching it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The places where the birds are nesting are interesting spots to visit. Both parents incubate and the scene is animated as the birds fly about in all directions.
  2. Part of our problem in praying for our children, he suggested, is the time lage, the necessary slow maturation of our prayers. But that's the way of God's rhythm in nature. For instance, the hen must patiently sit on her eggs to incubate them before the baby chicks hatch.

Etymology

First attested in 1641; borrowed from Latin incubātus, an alternative to incubitus, perfect passive participle of incubō (“to hatch”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (“in”) + cubō (“to lie”).

This word in other languages

incuber(Français)ausbrüten(Deutsch)incubar(Português)

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 "incubate"?
"incubate" is spelled I-N-C-U-B-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪŋkjʊbeɪt/.
What does "incubate" mean?
As a verb, "incubate" means: To brood, raise, or maintain eggs, organisms, or living tissue through the provision of ideal environmental conditions.
How do you pronounce "incubate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incubate" is /ˈɪŋkjʊbeɪt/. 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 "incubate"?
First attested in 1641; borrowed from Latin incubātus, an alternative to incubitus, perfect passive participle of incubō (“to hatch”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (“in”) + cubō (“to lie”). 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 "incubate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

impudent#55,509Italiana#55,521Jacksons#55,523headlock#55,486

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list