indifference
in·dif·fer·ence/ɪnˈdɪf.ɹəns/noun
indifference is spelled I-N-D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-C-E: 12 letters and 4 syllables (in·dif·fer·ence). It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, indifference means “The state of being indifferent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of indifference is indifferences.
How many letters and syllables are in indifference?
| Letters | 12: I-N-D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: in·dif·fer·ence |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,537th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is indifference?
Indifference appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce indifference?
- /ɪnˈdɪf.ɹəns/
- /ɪnˈdɪf.ə.ɹəns/
Indifference has 4 syllables, split in·dif·fer·ence in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-indifference.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of indifference
- indifferences plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does indifference mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state of being indifferent.
- 2
Unbiased impartiality.
- 3
Unemotional apathy.
His daughter's indifference towards the sexist group made him wonder if she felt no empathy for the bullied.
- 4
A lack of enthusiasm.
- 5
Unconcerned nonchalance.
- 6
Self-identity defined through the negation of difference, non-difference.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Indifference in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense the state of being indifferent:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | indifférence |
| German | Gleichgültigkeit |
| Portuguese | indiferença |
| Spanish | indiferencia, displicencia |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does indifference come from?
From Middle French indifférence, from Late Latin indifferentia. By surface analysis, in- + difference.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).