incur

/ɪnˈkɜː/

//ɪnˈkɜː// verb

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

"incur" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“incur” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,620. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,620
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To bring upon oneself or expose oneself to, especially something inconvenient, harmful, or onerous; to become liable or subject to.

Corpus desk

Index EN-incur · incur · English

incur · rank #19,620 · 7 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,620
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inaccessible

Nearest frequency peer: inaccessible (-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 “incur”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “incur” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

incur vs inner
60% similar
incur vs input
60% similar
incur vs infer
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for incur
PropertyValue
Headwordincur
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈkɜː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#19,620
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “incur”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “inaccessible” (#19,619), “inferno” (#19,621), “illuminate” (#19,618). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “incur” is #19,620. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around incur (IPA /ɪnˈkɜː/), averb. Corpus frequency is #19,620 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for incur, with forms such as "icnur", "inccur", and "incru". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "inner", "input", "infer", and more, 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 incurren, from Anglo-Norman encurir, Middle French encourir, from Old French encorre, from Latin incurrere. The correct English form is incur, spelled I-N-C-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To bring upon oneself or expose oneself to, especially something inconvenient, harmful, or onerous; to become liable or subject to.
  2. 2
    To bring upon oneself or expose oneself to, especially something inconvenient, harmful, or onerous; to become liable or subject to.
  3. 3
    To enter or pass into.
  4. 4
    To fall within a period or scope; to occur; to run into danger.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonym: contract (debts, etc.)
  2. Cruelty incurs calamity.

Etymology

From Middle English incurren, from Anglo-Norman encurir, Middle French encourir, from Old French encorre, from Latin incurrere.

This word in other languages

encourir(Français)zufügen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • icnur
  • inccur
  • incru
  • incurr
  • inncur
  • inucr
  • nicur

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

icnur2inccur1incru2incurr1inncur1inucr2nicur2
Edit distance from "incur"

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 "incur"?
"incur" is spelled I-N-C-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈkɜː/.
What does "incur" mean?
As a verb, "incur" means: To bring upon oneself or expose oneself to, especially something inconvenient, harmful, or onerous; to become liable or subject to.
What words are commonly confused with "incur"?
"incur" is commonly confused with "inner", "input", "infer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "incur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incur" is /ɪnˈkɜː/. 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 "incur"?
From Middle English incurren, from Anglo-Norman encurir, Middle French encourir, from Old French encorre, from Latin incurrere. 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 "incur", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

latte#19,633leafy#19,634FLOPS#19,600Nadia#19,645

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

emery7 variantsdives7 variantsDebra7 variantsRhys7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list