Practice
Incidence or incident: what is the difference?
Sign in to saveThe report noted a lower incidence of workplace injuries this year. Later, it described one incident near the loading area. Incidence looks at a pattern; incident names one event in that pattern.
Use incidence for the occurrence or rate of something, and incident for one separate event.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
incidence / incident /ˈɪnsɪdəns/ /ˈɪnsɪdənt/
The short answer
Use incidence for occurrence or frequency across a group, place, or period. Use incident for one separate event.
The clinic recorded a high incidence of flu during the winter.
Why it works: The sentence describes a pattern of cases over a period, so incidence fits.
6 more examples
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The hospital tracked the incidence of new infections each month.
The hospital is studying a pattern across time, not one particular case.
Not this:The hospital investigated
an incidentin the emergency department. What changes: The sentence refers to one event that required investigation. -
The survey found a low incidence of billing errors.
Low incidence means that errors did not occur often in the survey results.
Not this:One
billing incidentdelayed the customer's refund. What changes: One specific problem delayed the refund, so incident is the natural word. -
The study compares the incidence of asthma in two age groups.
The study compares new cases or occurrence across groups.
Not this:The school reported
an incidentinvolving a broken window. What changes: The broken window is one event, not a rate or pattern. -
Regular maintenance reduced the incidence of machine failures.
The sentence compares how often failures happened before and after maintenance.
Not this:A
machine incidentstopped production for an hour. What changes: This names one stoppage with a specific result. -
The city published annual data on the incidence of bicycle theft.
Annual data shows the occurrence of theft across a wider period and area.
Not this:The officer spoke to witnesses after
the theft incident. What changes: The officer is dealing with one reported event. -
The manager reviewed every safety incident from the previous quarter.
Each incident is a separate event that can be reviewed individually.
Not this:The manager also reviewed the
overall incidenceof safety problems. What changes: The overall incidence describes the broader pattern.
Read the full guide
First, ask whether the sentence means one event or a wider pattern. If it names one thing that happened, choose incident. If it measures or describes how often something happens, choose incidence. Words such as rate, level, number of cases, and over the year often point to incidence. Details about a particular time, place, or response often point to incident.
Choose incident for one event
An incident is one thing that happened. It may be an accident, disagreement, problem, or other event that people need to mention or deal with. The word is countable, so you can say an incident or several incidents.
The manager wrote a report about the incident after the meeting.
The report concerns one event after one meeting, so incident is the right noun.
Which word fits one event at a train station: incidence or incident?
Use incident. It names one event at a particular place and time.
Choose incidence for a pattern or rate
Use incidence when you are looking at occurrence across a group, place, or period of time. The word often answers a question such as How common is this? or How often did this happen? It is common in reports and research because those texts compare patterns.
The company measured the incidence of absence during the winter.
The company is considering absence across a season, not one employee's absence.
Which word fits a report about how often late deliveries happen?
Use incidence, as in the incidence of late deliveries.
Use incidence of with the thing that occurs
A useful pattern is incidence of followed by the problem, condition, or event type. You can write the incidence of theft, the incidence of errors, or the incidence of a disease. An adjective such as high, low, rising, or reduced can describe the level.
The audit found a reduced incidence of data-entry errors.
Reduced tells you about a lower frequency of errors across the audit, so the phrase uses incidence of.
Complete the phrase: a high ___ of minor injuries.
Use incidence: a high incidence of minor injuries.
Add details to an incident
An incident often needs details so that the listener knows which event you mean. You may add a place, time, type, or result: an incident at work, a traffic incident on Monday, or a security incident that affected the building. These details make one event easier to identify.
Staff discussed the security incident at the end of the day.
The security incident is a particular event that staff can discuss together.
Choose the natural phrase for one event: a parking ___ near the office.
Use incident: a parking incident near the office.
Use health data carefully
In health and research writing, incidence has a more precise use. It commonly refers to new cases in a population during a stated period. A report should state the group and period before readers compare numbers. Do not use incident when you mean the measured occurrence of a condition.
Researchers measured the incidence of new cases over twelve months.
The sentence measures new cases across a period, which is the technical use of incidence.
Which word belongs in a study of new cases over a year?
Use incidence. The study measures the occurrence of new cases over time.
Make the choice from the sentence focus
Read the sentence for its focus before choosing. If it tells a story about what happened, you probably need incident. If it gives a level, comparison, trend, or number of cases, you probably need incidence. Both words can appear in the same report because a report may measure a pattern and then explain individual events.
The report showed a fall in the incidence of complaints after the new system began.
A fall in the incidence describes a changing pattern across many complaints.
The report also described one complaint incident in detail.
One complaint incident is a single event inside the wider pattern.
Before you go
Remember this
Use incident for one separate event: a safety incident, a traffic incident, or an incident at work. Use incidence for occurrence or frequency: the incidence of errors, disease, theft, or late deliveries. Ask whether the sentence tells you about one event or a pattern across many cases.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Incidence or incident: what is the difference?"
What is the main difference between incidence and incident?
Incidence refers to occurrence or frequency across cases, a group, or a period. Incident refers to one separate event. You can report a high incidence of errors across a year, then describe one incident that caused a serious delay.
The hospital tracked the incidence of new infections each month.
Can I say an incidence of theft?
Usually, write the incidence of theft when you mean how often theft occurs. Incidence is commonly followed by of and the thing being measured. Use an incident of theft when you mean one particular event, although a theft incident is often clearer in ordinary writing.
The hospital investigated an incident in the emergency department.
How is incidence used in health writing?
In health and research writing, incidence commonly means new cases in a population during a stated period. A careful report names the condition, the group, and the period so that readers can understand what is being measured and compare results fairly.
The survey found a low incidence of billing errors.
Is an incident always serious?
No. An incident can be minor, serious, accidental, or deliberate. The word usually signals an event worth mentioning, investigating, or responding to. Add an adjective or detail when the listener needs to know its seriousness, type, or location.
One billing incident delayed the customer's refund.
What words often go with incidence?
Common patterns include a high incidence of, a low incidence of, and the incidence of. The noun after of names what occurs, such as errors, theft, illness, or delays. Reports may also describe a rising, falling, or reduced incidence.
The study compares the incidence of asthma in two age groups.