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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,620 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#19,620
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To bring upon oneself or expose oneself to, especially something inconvenient, harmful, or onerous; to become liable or subject to.

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)

Where “incur” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for incur is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈkɜː/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,620 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “incur”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-C-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪnˈkɜː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “inner” - see the side-by-side comparison. incur vs inner
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list