im-

prefix

"im" is a 2-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
3
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Expressing negation; not.

Corpus desk

Index EN-im · im- · English

im- · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "I" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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 im-
PropertyValue
Headwordim-
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPrefix
Letters3
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “im-” in English

im-ranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

im- is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprefix. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Expressing negation; not.".

Zero misspellings are on record for im- in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin im-, assimilated form of in- used before b-/p-/m-. The correct English form is im-, spelled I-M--.

Definition

  1. 1
    Expressing negation; not.

Etymology

From Latin im-, assimilated form of in- used before b-/p-/m-.

Synonyms

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 "im-"?
"im-" is spelled I-M--.
What does "im-" mean?
As a prefix, "im-" means: Expressing negation; not.
What is the origin of the word "im-"?
From Latin im-, assimilated form of in- used before b-/p-/m-. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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