Impetus

[ˈɪmpetʊs]

/[ˈɪmpetʊs]/ noun

The verdict

“Impetus” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - innerer, begeisterter Antrieb einer Person; Schwung

Corpus desk

Index DE-impetus · Impetus · German

Impetus · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "I" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for Impetus
PropertyValue
HeadwordImpetus
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈɪmpetʊs]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Impetus“ im Deutschen

Impetusschafft es nicht in die Top 100.000 des Deutschen: Zone für Fach-, Alt- oder Seltenwortschatz.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Impetus is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈɪmpetʊs]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for Impetus in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Impetus, spelled I-M-P-E-T-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    innerer, begeisterter Antrieb einer Person; Schwung
  2. 2
    Anfangsenergie, die eine Sache in Bewegung setzen kann; Anstoß

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Impetus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Ich glaube nicht, daß von heute zu morgen wieder jener Impetus in die Wirtschaft hineinkommt, der das eigentliche Kennzeichen einer guten Konjunktur ist.
  2. Von der politischen Entscheidung ging ein gewaltiger Impetus aus.

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Impetus"?
"Impetus" is spelled I-M-P-E-T-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈɪmpetʊs].
What does "Impetus" mean?
As a noun, "Impetus" means: innerer, begeisterter Antrieb einer Person; Schwung
How do you pronounce "Impetus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Impetus" is [ˈɪmpetʊs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Impetus" come from?
"Impetus" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list