intricacy

/ˈɪn.tɹɪ.kə.si/

//ˈɪn.tɹɪ.kə.si// noun

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

"intricacy" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“intricacy” is an uncommon English word, ranked #64,448 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#64,448
frequency rank, English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The state or quality of being intricate or entangled.

Key facts for intricacy
PropertyValue
Headwordintricacy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪn.tɹɪ.kə.si/
Letters9
Frequency rank#64,448
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “intricacy” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). intricacy lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for intricacy is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪn.tɹɪ.kə.si/. Corpus data places it at rank #64,448 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for intricacy, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From intricate + -cy. The correct English form is intricacy, spelled I-N-T-R-I-C-A-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or quality of being intricate or entangled.
  2. 2
    Perplexity.
  3. 3
    Something which is intricate or complex.

Etymology

From intricate + -cy.

This word in other languages

vericuetos(Español)Komplexität(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 "intricacy"?
"intricacy" is spelled I-N-T-R-I-C-A-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪn.tɹɪ.kə.si/.
What does "intricacy" mean?
As a noun, "intricacy" means: The state or quality of being intricate or entangled.
How do you pronounce "intricacy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "intricacy" is /ˈɪn.tɹɪ.kə.si/. 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 "intricacy"?
From intricate + -cy. 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.

Using “intricacy”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-T-R-I-C-A-C-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɪn.tɹɪ.kə.si/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list