Five Hard Words Play today

Tier three of five

How to spell incompetence

What it means

a lack of ability

How it sounds

/ˌɪˈnkɑmpətəns/

Why it catches people out

Incompe plus tence, not -tance.

The spellings people reach for

In a sentence

The report blamed simple incompetence.

First appeared in

Puzzle #71 — October 3, 2026