Words / C1

INS-id-uh-ns/ˈɪnsɪdəns/

Incidence is how often something (usually unwelcome) occurs in a population or period: the incidence of fraud, a high incidence. Incident (already in the dictionary) is one event. Prevalence is how common it is at a snapshot. Coincidence is chance alignment. Do not write incidence for one accident.

Meaning

How often something, especially something bad, happens in a group or period.

Examples

• “The incidence of late scripts rose after the portal crashed.”
• “The incidence of late scripts rose after the portal’s weekend crash.”
• “One incident is a single event; incidence is the rate. Prevalence is “how common now”.”

Good to know

The rate of occurrence. Mix-up: incident (one event); coincidence (chance). Epidemiology cousin: prevalence. Not one accident.

Near in meaning

rate

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