Public Services and Procurement Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Institutional Links

 

Important notice

Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.

For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!

Search Canada.ca
To begin your search, go to the alphabetical index below and click on the first letter of the word you are searching for.

incidence, incidents

Do not confuse these similar-sounding words. Incidents is the plural of incident (event, occurrence, or accident).

  • Authorities could ignore one such incident, but at least ten incidents of violence are reported every day in our city.

Incidence refers to the frequency with which an event or condition occurs.

  • The high incidence of violence (or the high number of violent incidents) in schools is of concern to society as a whole.
  • The incidence of typhoid increases as water quality decreases.

Incidence is also a synonym for impact or influence.

  • Downsizing has an incidence on employee morale.