inscribe

/ɪnˈskɹaɪb/

//ɪnˈskɹaɪb// verb

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

"inscribe" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“inscribe” is uncommon English (frequency #75,995 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,995
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To write or cut (words) onto (something, especially a hard surface, or a book to be given to another person); to engrave.

Corpus desk

Index EN-inscribe · inscribe · English

inscribe · rank #75,995 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,995
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH innervation

Nearest frequency peer: innervation (-2 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 “inscribe”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for inscribe
PropertyValue
Headwordinscribe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈskɹaɪb/
Letters8
Frequency rank#75,995
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “inscribe” 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).inscribefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “innervation” (#75,993), “insomuch” (#75,997), “inflexibility” (#75,991). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inscribe” is #75,995. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

inscribe is uncommon English at frequency #75,995 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪnˈskɹaɪb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

inscribe has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin īnscrībō, from in- (“upon”) and scrībō (“to write”). The correct English form is inscribe, spelled I-N-S-C-R-I-B-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To write or cut (words) onto (something, especially a hard surface, or a book to be given to another person); to engrave.
  2. 2
    To dedicate to someone.
  3. 3
    To enter on a document or list; to enroll.
  4. 4
    To draw a circle, sphere, etc. inside a polygon, polyhedron, etc. and tangent to all its sides.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I inscribed the book with a message for Kate.
  2. I inscribed my name into the book.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin īnscrībō, from in- (“upon”) and scrībō (“to write”).

Synonyms

enwriteinwrite

This word in other languages

inscribir(Español)graver(Français)beschriften(Deutsch)

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 "inscribe"?
"inscribe" is spelled I-N-S-C-R-I-B-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈskɹaɪb/.
What does "inscribe" mean?
As a verb, "inscribe" means: To write or cut (words) onto (something, especially a hard surface, or a book to be given to another person); to engrave.
How do you pronounce "inscribe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inscribe" is /ɪnˈskɹaɪb/. 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 "inscribe"?
Borrowed from Latin īnscrībō, from in- (“upon”) and scrībō (“to write”). 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 "inscribe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

insomuch#75,997Kelantan#76,031handmaid#75,938Guernica#75,927

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list