Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

incompetence

/ɪnˈkɒm.pə.təns/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.43 in modern English

Syllables: in-com-pe-tence
IPA: /ɪnˈkɒm.pə.təns/

20

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An inability to perform; a lack of competence; ineptitude.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"... at the head of a crew, too, chiefly made up of mongrel renegades, and castaways, and cannibals--morally enfeebled also, by the incompetence of mere unaided virtue or right-mindedness in Starbuck"
"Winston did not know why Withers had been disgraced. Perhaps it was for corruption or incompetence. Perhaps Big Brother was merely getting rid of a too-popular subordinate."
"The factory where she worked was a poisonous mass of incompetence, favoritism, and sabotage."

Etymology

From French incompétence, equivalent to in- + competence.

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

incompetences (plural)

Derived Forms

immunoincompetence

Phrases

artificial incompetence weaponized incompetence

Frequently Paired Words

competency incompetency incompetent

Synonyms

incompetency

Questions

How do you pronounce incompetence?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɪnˈkɒm.pə.təns/.
What does incompetence mean?: An inability to perform; a lack of competence; ineptitude.
Where does incompetence come from?: From French incompétence, equivalent to in- + competence.

How to pronounce incompetence

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “incompetence”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɪnˈkɒm.pə.təns/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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