iMacvsimpactWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“iMac” and “impact” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#34,536
“iMac” frequency rank
#1,273
“impact” frequency rank
35809
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature iMac impact
Definition One of a line of all-in-one Macintosh computers made by Apple Inc. The striking of one body against another; collision.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set iMac and impact apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
iMac
6 ch
impact

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

iMac and impact are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35809, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

iMac is recorded at frequency rank #34,536, classified as anoun. impact is at rank #1,273, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪmpækt/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 35809, this pair ranks #308,725 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of iMac vs impact

Shared letters: acim. Private to "iMac": -. Private to "impact": pt.

"iMac" · 4 letters · shape VCVC  ·  "impact" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • iMaciamc · imacc · immac
  • impactimapct · immpact · impacct · impactt · impatc · impcat · imppact · ipmact

Frequency comparison

iMac#34,536
impact#1,273

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "iMac" and "impact" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "iMac" or "impact"?
"impact" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,273 in our English list, against #34,536 for "iMac". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering iMac vs impact

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “iMac” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list