insecure
/ɪnsəˈkjʊɹ/adjective
insecure is spelled I-N-S-E-C-U-R-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, insecure means “Not secure” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in insecure?
| Letters | 8: I-N-S-E-C-U-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.2 times per million words; the 10,843rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is insecure?
Insecure appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd 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 insecure?
- UK /ɪnsəˈkjʊə(ɹ)/
- UK /ɪnsəˈkjɔː(ɹ)/
- US /ɪnsəˈkjʊɹ/
Insecure has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-insecure.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with insecure?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as insecure from its last stressed vowel (/ʊɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: sinecure.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of insecure
- more insecure comparative
- most insecure superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does insecure mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not secure.
- 2
Not comfortable or confident in oneself or in certain situations.
He's a nice guy and all, but seems to be rather insecure around other people.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Insecure in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | insécurisé , inconfortable, inquiet |
| German | nicht sicher , unsicher |
| Portuguese | inseguro |
| Spanish | inseguro, en globo |
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 insecure come from?
From in- + secure, or from Medieval Latin insēcūrus, itself from in- (“in-, un-, non-”) + sēcūrus (“safe, certain”). Piecewise doublet of unsecure and unsure.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).