indigent

/ˈɪndɪd͡ʒənt/

//ˈɪndɪd͡ʒənt// adj

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

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

The verdict

“indigent” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,709. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,709
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Poor; destitute; in need.

Corpus desk

Index EN-indigent · indigent · English

indigent · rank #42,709 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,709
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH imprecise

Nearest frequency peer: imprecise (-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 “indigent”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “indigent” 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).

indigent vs indirect
75% similar
indigent vs indulgent
78% similar
indigent vs indignant
78% similar

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

Key facts for indigent
PropertyValue
Headwordindigent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɪndɪd͡ʒənt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#42,709
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “indigent”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).indigentlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “imprecise” (#42,708), “Ingham” (#42,710), “immeasurably” (#42,707). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “indigent” is #42,709. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around indigent (IPA /ˈɪndɪd͡ʒənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #42,709 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for indigent, with forms such as "idnigent", "inddigent", and "indgient". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "indirect", "indulgent", "indignant", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English indigent, from Old French indigent, from Latin indigēns, present participle of indigeō (“to need”), from indu (“in, within”) + egeō (“to be in need, want”). The correct English form is indigent, spelled I-N-D-I-G-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Poor; destitute; in need.
  2. 2
    Utterly lacking or in need of something specified.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Many of the indigent children are so badly provided for by their parents, with both food and raiment, that they cannot attend school regularly; […]
  2. And were I not a thing for you and me To execrate in anguish, you would be As indigent a stranger to surprise, I fear, as I was once, and as unwise.

Etymology

From Middle English indigent, from Old French indigent, from Latin indigēns, present participle of indigeō (“to need”), from indu (“in, within”) + egeō (“to be in need, want”).

This word in other languages

indigente(Español)nécessiteux(Français)bedürftig(Deutsch)indigente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • idnigent
  • inddigent
  • indgient
  • indiegnt
  • indigennt
  • indigentt
  • indigetn
  • indiggent
  • indignet
  • inidgent
  • inndigent
  • nidigent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

idnigent2inddigent1indgient2indiegnt2indigennt1indigentt1indigetn2indiggent1
Edit distance from "indigent"

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 "indigent"?
"indigent" is spelled I-N-D-I-G-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪndɪd͡ʒənt/.
What does "indigent" mean?
As an adjective, "indigent" means: Poor; destitute; in need.
What words are commonly confused with "indigent"?
"indigent" is commonly confused with "indirect", "indulgent", "indignant". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "indigent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "indigent" is /ˈɪndɪd͡ʒənt/. 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 "indigent"?
From Middle English indigent, from Old French indigent, from Latin indigēns, present participle of indigeō (“to need”), from indu (“in, within”) + egeō (“to be in need, want”). 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 "indigent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

hoisting#42,698kickback#42,729laboured#42,738laudable#42,740

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

judicious12 variantsGottfried12 variantsgangrene12 variantsfrenetic12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list