indiscriminate

/ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət/

//ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət// adj

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

"indiscriminate" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“indiscriminate” has 21 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,954. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,954
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
21
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not marked by discrimination or discernment; (by extension) confused, promiscuous.

Corpus desk

Index EN-indiscriminate · indiscriminate · English

indiscriminate · rank #28,954 · 21 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #28,954
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 21 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH ideologically

Nearest frequency peer: ideologically (-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 “indiscriminate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “indiscriminate” 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).

indiscriminate vs indiscriminately
88% similar

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

Key facts for indiscriminate
PropertyValue
Headwordindiscriminate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət/
Letters14
Frequency rank#28,954
Misspellings tracked21
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “indiscriminate”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).indiscriminatelands 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 “ideologically” (#28,953), “individualism” (#28,955), “hummus” (#28,952). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “indiscriminate” is #28,954. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 21 spelling variants around indiscriminate (IPA /ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #28,954 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 21 likely wrong-spelling variants for indiscriminate, with forms such as "idniscriminate", "inddiscriminate", and "indicsriminate". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "indiscriminately", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1598; from in- + discriminate. The correct English form is indiscriminate, spelled I-N-D-I-S-C-R-I-M-I-N-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not marked by discrimination or discernment; (by extension) confused, promiscuous.
  2. 2
    Without care in making distinctions, thoughtless.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Otanes […] commanded an indiscriminate slaughter, without regard to age or to place.
  2. The UK's fishing industry has complained that Ocean is “indiscriminate” (arguably an ironic adjective for anyone involved in trawling).

Etymology

First attested in 1598; from in- + discriminate.

Synonyms

promiscuous

This word in other languages

indiscriminado(Español)indiscriminé(Français)unüberlegt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • idniscriminate
  • inddiscriminate
  • indicsriminate
  • indisccriminate
  • indiscirminate
  • indiscriimnate
  • indiscrimiante
  • indiscriminaet
  • indiscriminatte
  • indiscriminnate
  • indiscrimintae
  • indiscrimminate
  • indiscrimniate
  • indiscrmiinate
  • indiscrriminate
  • indisrciminate
  • indisscriminate
  • indsicriminate
  • inidscriminate
  • inndiscriminate
  • nidiscriminate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

idniscriminate2inddiscriminate1indicsriminate2indisccriminate1indiscirminate2indiscriimnate2indiscrimiante2indiscriminaet2
Edit distance from "indiscriminate"

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 "indiscriminate"?
"indiscriminate" is spelled I-N-D-I-S-C-R-I-M-I-N-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət/.
What does "indiscriminate" mean?
As an adjective, "indiscriminate" means: Not marked by discrimination or discernment; (by extension) confused, promiscuous.
What words are commonly confused with "indiscriminate"?
"indiscriminate" is commonly confused with "indiscriminately". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "indiscriminate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "indiscriminate" is /ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət/. 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 "indiscriminate"?
First attested in 1598; from in- + discriminate. 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 "indiscriminate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 14 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

congratulating#28,877transcendental#29,128unsurprisingly#28,779superannuation#28,744

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (21 here; floor ≥5).

uncomfortably21 variantsextracurricular21 variantsspectacularly21 variantsinappropriately21 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list