innumeracy
"innumeracy" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“innumeracy” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lack of numeracy; low numeracy.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | innumeracy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “innumeracy” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for innumeracy is 10 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Lack of numeracy; low numeracy.".
No misspelling variants are generated for innumeracy in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From in- + numeracy; coined by Douglas Hofstadter and popularized by mathematician John Allen Paulos in his 1989 book Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences. The correct English form is innumeracy, spelled I-N-N-U-M-E-R-A-C-Y.
Definition
- 1Lack of numeracy; low numeracy.
Etymology
From in- + numeracy; coined by Douglas Hofstadter and popularized by mathematician John Allen Paulos in his 1989 book Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "innumeracy"?
What does "innumeracy" mean?
What is the origin of the word "innumeracy"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “innumeracy”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-N-U-M-E-R-A-C-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.