imam

/ˈiːmɑːm/

//ˈiːmɑːm// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"imam" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“imam” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #14,967) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#14,967
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque.

Corpus desk

Index EN-imam · imam · English

imam · rank #14,967 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,967
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH illuminated

Nearest frequency peer: illuminated (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “imam”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “imam” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

imam vs IRA
0% similar
imam vs IMO
0% similar
imam vs ISA
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for imam
PropertyValue
Headwordimam
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈiːmɑːm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#14,967
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “imam”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).imamlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “illuminated” (#14,966), “Hyderabad” (#14,965), “humid” (#14,964). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “imam” is #14,967. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for imam is neighbouring look-alikes ("IRA", "IMO", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈiːmɑːm/. Frequency #14,967 among 2,140 “I” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for imam, with forms such as "iamm", "imamm", and "immam". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "IRA", "IMO", "ISA", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Arabic إِمَام (ʔimām, “leader”). The correct English form is imam, spelled I-M-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque.
  2. 2
    A Shi'ite Muslim leader descended from the prophet Muhammad and functioning as his spiritual successor.
  3. 3
    A Shi'ite Muslim leader descended from the prophet Muhammad and functioning as his spiritual successor.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Now it chanced that in one of the mosques was an Imam. (footnote: The person specially appointed to lead the prayers of the congregation and paid out of the endowed revenues of the mosque to which he is attached)
  2. But then there's a Christian cleric and an imam on each of the country's three regional censorship boards, in Kaduna, Lagos and Onitsha, although more than one producer told me that the brown envelope worked the same magic here as in any other Nigerian Government department.

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic إِمَام (ʔimām, “leader”).

This word in other languages

imán(Español)imam(Français)Imam(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iamm
  • imamm
  • immam
  • miam

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of imam - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

iamm2imamm1immam1miam2
Edit distance from "imam"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "imam"?
"imam" is spelled I-M-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈiːmɑːm/.
What does "imam" mean?
As a noun, "imam" means: One who leads the salat prayers in a mosque.
What words are commonly confused with "imam"?
"imam" is commonly confused with "IRA", "IMO", "ISA". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "imam"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "imam" is /ˈiːmɑːm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "imam"?
Borrowed from Arabic إِمَام (ʔimām, “leader”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "imam", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hive#14,961hind#14,959mesa#14,998moth#15,005

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list