iniquitous

/ɪˈnɪkwɪtəs/

//ɪˈnɪkwɪtəs// adj

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

"iniquitous" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“iniquitous” is uncommon English (frequency #92,722 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,722
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Characterized by iniquity (“deviation from what is right”).

Corpus desk

Index EN-iniquitous · iniquitous · English

iniquitous · rank #92,722 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #92,722
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ingen

Nearest frequency peer: Ingen (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “iniquitous”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “iniquitous” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for iniquitous
PropertyValue
Headwordiniquitous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪˈnɪkwɪtəs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#92,722
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “iniquitous” in English

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).iniquitousfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Ingen” (#92,721), “infuser” (#92,720), “inmost” (#92,724). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “iniquitous” is #92,722. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

iniquitous is uncommon English at frequency #92,722 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɪˈnɪkwɪtəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for iniquitous, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From iniquity + -ous (suffix forming adjectives indicating the presence of a quality in any degree (typically an abundance)). The correct English form is iniquitous, spelled I-N-I-Q-U-I-T-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Characterized by iniquity (“deviation from what is right”).
  2. 2
    Characterized by iniquity (“deviation from what is right”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "It certainly is a most iniquitous affair," said Mr. Bennet, "and nothing can clear Mr. Collins from the guilt of inheriting Longbourn. But if you will listen to his letter, you may perhaps be a little softened by his manner of expressing himself."
  2. Are you aware, sir, that we have gone to enormous expense to resist this iniquitous attempt of yours?

Etymology

From iniquity + -ous (suffix forming adjectives indicating the presence of a quality in any degree (typically an abundance)).

This word in other languages

inicuo(Español)inique(Français)sündig(Deutsch)iníquo(Português)

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 "iniquitous"?
"iniquitous" is spelled I-N-I-Q-U-I-T-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈnɪkwɪtəs/.
What does "iniquitous" mean?
As an adjective, "iniquitous" means: Characterized by iniquity (“deviation from what is right”).
How do you pronounce "iniquitous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "iniquitous" is /ɪˈnɪkwɪtəs/. 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 "iniquitous"?
From iniquity + -ous (suffix forming adjectives indicating the presence of a quality in any degree (typically an abundance)). 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 "iniquitous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

insularity#92,730hemostasis#92,683kingslayer#92,772grindhouse#92,665

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list