indigence
/ˈɪndɪd͡ʒəns/
"indigence" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“indigence” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Extreme poverty or destitution.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | indigence |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɪndɪd͡ʒəns/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “indigence” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for indigence is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪndɪd͡ʒəns/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Extreme poverty or destitution.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for indigence, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English indigence, late 14th century, from Old French indigence (13th century), from Latin indigentia, from indigentem, form of indigēre (“to need”), from indu (“in, within”) + egēre (“be in need, want”). Only relation to antonym affluence is co… The correct English form is indigence, spelled I-N-D-I-G-E-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1Extreme poverty or destitution.
Etymology
From Middle English indigence, late 14th century, from Old French indigence (13th century), from Latin indigentia, from indigentem, form of indigēre (“to need”), from indu (“in, within”) + egēre (“be in need, want”). Only relation to antonym affluence is common Latinate suffix + -ence.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “indigence”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-D-I-G-E-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɪndɪd͡ʒəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.