indiscriminate

Name: indiscriminate, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət/

//ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət// adj

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“indiscriminate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,954 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#28,954
frequency rank, English: 14
letters: 21
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not marked by discrimination or discernment; (by extension) confused, promiscuous.

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
Property	Value
Headword	indiscriminate
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət/
Letters	14
Frequency rank	#28,954
Misspellings tracked	21
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “indiscriminate” 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). indiscriminate lands here:

#28,954

#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 indiscriminate is 14 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət/. Corpus data places it at rank #28,954 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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

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.

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.

Using “indiscriminate”

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

The one correct English spelling is I-N-D-I-S-C-R-I-M-I-N-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ɪn.dɪsˈkɹɪm.ɪn.ət/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “indiscriminately” - see the side-by-side comparison. indiscriminate vs indiscriminately
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.