inequality
/ˌɪn.ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ti/noun
inequality is spelled I-N-E-Q-U-A-L-I-T-Y: 10 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 8.3 times per million words in written English, the 8,036th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, inequality means “A condition or state (of social, cultural, or legal matters) that is not equal; especially, such a condition that is thereby also unfair” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of inequality is inequalities.
How many letters and syllables are in inequality?
| Letters | 10: I-N-E-Q-U-A-L-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 8.3 times per million words; the 8,036th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is inequality?
Inequality appears 8.3 times per million words in written English, the 8,036th 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 inequality?
- UK /ˌɪn.ɪˈkwɒl.ɪ.ti/
- US /ˌɪn.ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ti/
- US [ˌɪn.ɪˈkwɑ.lɪ.ɾi]
Inequality has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Berrely-inequality.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with inequality?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as inequality from its last stressed vowel (/ɑlɪti/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of inequality
- inequalities plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does inequality mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A condition or state (of social, cultural, or legal matters) that is not equal; especially, such a condition that is thereby also unfair.
The inequality in living standards led to a civil war as the have-nots rebelled.
- 2
A statement that of two quantities one is specifically less than (or greater than) another. Symbol: < or ≤ or > or ≥ or ne , as appropriate.
The inequality x is less than y, together with that ylt;z, allows us to deduce the inequality xlt;z.
- 3
Unevenness, irregularity.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Inequality in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | inégalité , inéquation |
| German | Ungleichheit , Ungleichung |
| Portuguese | desigualdade , inequação |
| Spanish | desigualdad , inecuación |
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 inequality come from?
From Middle English inequalite, from Old French inequalité, from Medieval Latin inaequālitās, from Latin inaequālis (“unequal”), from in- (“not”) + aequālis (“equal”). Morphologically inequal + -ity and in- + equality.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).