inscrutable
/ˌɪnˈskɹuːtəbl̩/
"inscrutable" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“inscrutable” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #49,426 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #49,426
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 18
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Difficult or impossible to comprehend, fathom, or interpret.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | inscrutable |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌɪnˈskɹuːtəbl̩/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #49,426 |
| Misspellings tracked | 18 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “inscrutable” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for inscrutable is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɪnˈskɹuːtəbl̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #49,426 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Difficult or impossible to comprehend, fathom, or interpret.".
Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for inscrutable, with forms such as "incsrutable", "innscrutable", and "insccrutable". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. 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: Borrowed into late Middle English from Late Latin īnscrūtābilis, from in- (“not”) + scrūtō (“to examine”), corresponding to in- + scrutable The correct English form is inscrutable, spelled I-N-S-C-R-U-T-A-B-L-E.
Definition
- 1Difficult or impossible to comprehend, fathom, or interpret.
Etymology
Borrowed into late Middle English from Late Latin īnscrūtābilis, from in- (“not”) + scrūtō (“to examine”), corresponding to in- + scrutable
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: incsrutable,innscrutable,insccrutable,inscrrutable,inscrtuable,inscruatble,inscrutabble,inscrutabel,inscrutablle,inscrutalbe,inscrutbale,inscrutible,inscruttable,inscurtable,insrcutable,insscrutable,isncrutable,niscrutable
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of inscrutable - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "inscrutable"?
What does "inscrutable" mean?
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Using “inscrutable”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-S-C-R-U-T-A-B-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌɪnˈskɹuːtəbl̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.