ingenuity
/ˌɪnd͡ʒəˈn(j)uːəti/noun
ingenuity is spelled I-N-G-E-N-U-I-T-Y: 9 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,516th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ingenuity means “The ability to solve difficult problems in original, clever, and inventive ways; ingeniousness” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ingenuity is ingenuities.
How many letters and syllables are in ingenuity?
| Letters | 9: I-N-G-E-N-U-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,516th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is ingenuity?
Ingenuity appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,516th 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 ingenuity?
- /ˌɪnd͡ʒəˈn(j)uːəti/
Ingenuity 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: En-us-ingenuity.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ingenuity
- ingenuities plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ingenuity mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The ability to solve difficult problems in original, clever, and inventive ways; ingeniousness.
The pyramids demonstrate the ingenuity of the ancient Egyptians.
- 2
An ingenuous action or thought.
- 3
archaicIngenuousness; honesty, straightforwardness
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ingenuity in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ingéniosité |
| German | Einfallsreichtum, Findigkeit, Raffinesse, Scharfsinn |
| Portuguese | engenhosidade |
| Spanish | ingenuidad |
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 ingenuity come from?
From Latin ingenuitās. Compare genius.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).