incredible to believe (incredible)

Sentences like "It is incredible to believe that she won" sound clumsy because the words repeat the same idea. "Incredible" already means "hard to believe," so adding "to believe" usually creates redundancy and weakens the sentence.

Below: when to drop "to believe," when an infinitive is correct, clear rewrite patterns, and many context-specific examples (work, school, casual) so you can fix sentences quickly.

Short answer

Most of the time, drop "to believe" after "incredible." Use "incredible that + clause" to report a surprising fact. Keep an infinitive only when the adjective describes the experience of doing or observing something (for example, "incredible to watch").

Wrong: "It is incredible to believe that she won."
Better: "It is incredible that she won."
Keep an infinitive when describing an experience: "It was incredible to watch the rescue."

Why "incredible to believe" is usually redundant

"Incredible" means "hard to believe" or "astonishing." Adding "to believe" repeats that idea and creates a tautology. Grammatically, "incredible" naturally takes a that-clause when you want to state the surprising fact.

An infinitive after an adjective is natural only when the adjective modifies an action or experience: "incredible to watch," "nice to meet you," "surprising to see."

Use "incredible that + clause" to report a fact.
Use "incredible to + verb" when you describe an experience of watching, seeing, hearing, etc.

Real usage and tone: subtle differences

"Incredible that..." reports astonishment and reads as neutral or formal-appropriate for reports, emails, or news. "Incredible to..." focuses on the speaker's reaction and feels more vivid or conversational.

Incredible that + clause = report a surprising fact (work reports, essays).
Incredible to + verb = describe the experience (stories, speech, vivid writing).

Work: "It's incredible that the team met the deadline."
Casual: "It was incredible to watch them perform."
School: "It's incredible that the experiment produced consistent results."

Practical examples: common wrong/right pairs

Below are incorrect sentences that use "incredible to believe" followed by cleaner, more natural alternatives. Use these patterns as templates.

Work - Wrong: "It is incredible to believe the team completed the project on time without overtime." Work -
Right: "It is incredible that the team completed the project on time without overtime."
Work - Wrong: "The financial results are incredible to believe for this quarter." Work -
Right: "The financial results are incredible; it's hard to believe the quarter went so well."
Work - Wrong: "It is incredible to believe how quickly the system recovered after the outage." Work -
Right: "It is incredible how quickly the system recovered after the outage."
School - Wrong: "It is incredible to believe she received full marks on the final exam." School -
Right: "It is incredible that she received full marks on the final exam."
School - Wrong: "It's incredible to believe the experiment worked on the first try." School -
Right: "It's incredible that the experiment worked on the first try."
School - Wrong: "It is incredible to believe that the study produced such surprising results." School -
Right: "It is incredible that the study produced such surprising results."
Casual - Wrong: "It's incredible to believe we've been neighbors for ten years already." Casual -
Right: "It's incredible that we've been neighbors for ten years already."
Casual - Wrong: "It is incredible to believe he climbed that mountain without help." Casual -
Right: "It is incredible that he climbed that mountain without help."
Casual - Wrong: "It's incredible to believe she remembered everyone's birthday." Casual -
Right: "It's incredible that she remembered everyone's birthday."
Experience fix - Wrong: "It was incredible to believe the rescue worked." Experience fix - Right: "It was incredible to watch the rescue succeed."
Tone alternative - Wrong: "It's incredible to believe she finished the thesis so quickly." Tone alternative - Right: "It's amazing that she finished the thesis so quickly."
Clarify action - Wrong: "It is incredible to believe the outcome." Clarify action - Right: "It is incredible that the outcome was so close."

How to rewrite your own sentence - step-by-step

Step 1: Decide whether you mean an astonishing fact or an astonishing experience. If it's a fact, use "that + clause." If it's the experience, keep an infinitive that names the action (watch, see, hear, witness).

Step 2: Read both versions aloud. The "that" version usually sounds cleaner for facts. If you want a softer tone, try "hard to believe" or "surprising that."

If meaning = fact: change to "incredible that + clause."
If meaning = experience: use "incredible to + verb" with an action verb (watch, see, witness).
To soften: use "hard to believe" or "surprising that."

Rewrite example: Original: "It is incredible to believe that the data are accurate." → "It is incredible that the data are accurate."
Rewrite example: Original: "It was incredible to believe the rescue worked." → "It was incredible to watch the rescue succeed."
Rewrite example: Original: "It's incredible to believe she finished the thesis so quickly." → "It's amazing that she finished the thesis so quickly."

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence, not just the phrase. Replace "incredible" with "hard to believe" as a quick swap test: if "to believe" becomes repetitive, remove it and use "that + clause." Reading aloud helps reveal awkwardness.

Memory trick: how to remember the rule

Think: "incredible = already hard to accept." If your sentence repeats that idea by adding "to believe," drop the infinitive.

Swap test: replace "incredible" with "hard to believe." If "to believe" is still present and redundant, simplify.
Context test: if you can insert "watch/see/hear" after "incredible" and it still makes sense, keep an infinitive; otherwise use "that."

Similar mistakes to watch for

The same redundancy shows up with adjectives like surprising, amazing, and unbelievable. Often you should use "that + clause" instead of "to believe."

Surprising to believe → use "surprising that..."
Amazing to believe → use "amazing that..."
Unbelievable to believe → almost always wrong; use "unbelievable that..." or "hard to believe."

Wrong: "It's surprising to believe she finished so fast."
Right: "It's surprising that she finished so fast."
Wrong: "It's unbelievable to believe they arrived on time."
Right: "It's unbelievable that they arrived on time."

Hyphenation and spacing: nothing special here

Do not hyphenate "incredible to believe" or insert unusual spacing. The issue is semantic, not typographic.

When a clause is long or needs a pause, add a comma after the introductory phrase: "It is incredible that, after months of testing, the device still failed."

Do not write "incredible-to-believe."
Use a comma when the clause benefits from a pause.

Grammar note: adjective complements vs infinitive phrases

Adjectives can take noun phrases, that-clauses, or infinitive phrases. "Incredible" commonly takes a that-clause to introduce the surprising content.

Infinitives after adjectives usually describe how an action feels. If the infinitive names an action the subject experiences, keep it; if it restates disbelief, use a that-clause.

That-clause structure: adjective + that + subject + verb.
Infinitive structure: adjective + to + verb (emphasizes the experience).

Wrong: "It is incredible to believe the outcome."
Right: "It is incredible that the outcome was so close."

FAQ

Is "incredible to believe" grammatically correct?

Grammatically possible but usually redundant. Prefer "incredible that + clause" for facts. Keep "incredible to + verb" when describing an experience (for example, "incredible to watch").

Can I say "incredible to watch" and "incredible to believe" interchangeably?

No. "Incredible to watch" describes an experience and is fine. "Incredible to believe" usually repeats the meaning in "incredible" and is better rewritten as "incredible that...".

How do I rewrite "It is incredible to believe he finished the thesis so fast"?

Use "It is incredible that he finished the thesis so fast" or "It's amazing that he finished the thesis so fast." If you mean the experience, say "It was incredible to see him finish the thesis so quickly."

Is "hard to believe" better than "incredible that"?

"Hard to believe" is slightly more conversational. Both are correct; choose based on tone: "incredible that" reads neutral/formal, while "hard to believe" sounds more informal.

How can I check my sentence quickly before sending an email?

Do the swap test: replace "incredible" with "hard to believe." If "to believe" becomes repetitive, remove it and use "that + clause." You can also paste the sentence into a grammar checker for suggestions.

Want a quick check?

Try two quick rewrites: the "that" version and an "incredible to + verb" version. Read both aloud and choose the clearer option. If you're still unsure, paste the sentence into a grammar tool for a second opinion.