“Incidence” or “Incidents”—Which to use?

“Incidence” or “Incidents”

Overview

incidence / incidents are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term. 👇

Definitions

incidence: (noun) the relative frequency of occurrence of something. (noun) the striking of a light beam on a surface.

incidents: (noun) a single distinct event. (noun) a public disturbance.

Pronunciation

incidence: IH·n·s·ah·d·ah·n·s

incidents: IH·n·s·ah·d·ah·n·t·s

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Examples in Context

Examples of “incidence”

…and studies have shown the incidence rate to be 0-7.7% per
Incidence in heterosexual populations was first…
…least one study indicates the incidence might be increasing in the…
…repeated due to the high incidence of infection due to abnormal…
…a suspect in the pawnshop incidence.
…was also investigating the pawnshop incidence.
…in specimens, making the true incidence of infection in humans likely…
…the investigation of the pawnshop incidence.
…but there was an increased incidence of hypotension and bradycardia
…the nullity of the oriented incidence matrix M associated with the

Examples of “incidents”

…to no protection for crossover incidents.
Category:Organizations investigating aviation accidents and incidents
…not seem to be isolated incidents.
The two incidents had an effect on Rodriguez…
Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Papua New Guinea
…the police, even for minor incidents such as illegal parking and…
Category:Maritime incidents in 1868
…prevent mine attacks and sniping incidents: soldiers would tie the hostages…
…agency investigates aircraft accidents and incidents in Honduras.
Accidents and incidents

(Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions drawn from WordNet.)

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