incubation

\ɛ̃.ky.ba.sjɔ̃\

/\ɛ̃.ky.ba.sjɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“incubation” has 14 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #26,760. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,760
frequency rank, French
142,603
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Action des volatiles qui couvent leurs œufs, de manière à les maintenir au chaud et à permettre le développement de l'embryon.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

incubation vs inhumation
80% similar
incubation vs inculpation
82% similar
incubation vs incitation
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for incubation
PropertyValue
Headwordincubation
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɛ̃.ky.ba.sjɔ̃\
Letters10
Frequency rank#26,760
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “incubation” sits in French 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). incubation lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around incubation (IPA \ɛ̃.ky.ba.sjɔ̃\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,760 among 142,603 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for incubation, with forms such as "icnubation", "incbuation", and "inccubation". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "inhumation", "inculpation", "incitation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is incubation, spelled I-N-C-U-B-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Action des volatiles qui couvent leurs œufs, de manière à les maintenir au chaud et à permettre le développement de l'embryon.
  2. 2
    Action humaine qui consiste à faire incuber des œufs par des moyens artificiels.
  3. 3
    Passage d'une culture dans une étuve bactériologique.
  4. 4
    Temps qui s’écoule entre le moment où l’organisme est affecté par une cause quelconque de maladie et l’éclosion de la maladie.
  5. 5
    Période de maturation entre une idée et sa concrétisation.
  6. 6
    Rituel de relation avec un dieu pour obtenir une guérison.

This word in other languages

incubation(English)incubación(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • icnubation
  • incbuation
  • inccubation
  • incuabtion
  • incubaiton
  • incubatino
  • incubationn
  • incubatoin
  • incubattion
  • incubbation
  • incubtaion
  • inncubation
  • inucbation
  • nicubation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of incubation - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

icnubation2incbuation2inccubation1incuabtion2incubaiton2incubatino2incubationn1incubatoin2
Edit distance from "incubation"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "incubation"?
"incubation" is spelled I-N-C-U-B-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛ̃.ky.ba.sjɔ̃\.
What does "incubation" mean?
As a noun, "incubation" means: Action des volatiles qui couvent leurs œufs, de manière à les maintenir au chaud et à permettre le développement de l'embryon.
What words are commonly confused with "incubation"?
"incubation" is commonly confused with "inhumation", "inculpation", "incitation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "incubation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "incubation" is \ɛ̃.ky.ba.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "incubation" come from?
"incubation" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “incubation”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is I-N-C-U-B-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɛ̃.ky.ba.sjɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “inhumation” - see the side-by-side comparison. incubation vs inhumation
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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