imbibe

/ɪmˈbaɪb/

//ɪmˈbaɪb// verb

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

"imbibe" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“imbibe” is uncommon English (frequency #65,199 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,199
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To drink (used frequently of alcoholic beverages).

Corpus desk

Index EN-imbibe · imbibe · English

imbibe · rank #65,199 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,199
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH immunocomprom…

Nearest frequency peer: immunocompromised (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “imbibe”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “imbibe” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for imbibe
PropertyValue
Headwordimbibe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪmˈbaɪb/
Letters6
Frequency rank#65,199
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “imbibe” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).imbibefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “immunocompromised” (#65,200), “impassive” (#65,201), “impermanence” (#65,202). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “imbibe” is #65,199. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

imbibe is uncommon English at frequency #65,199 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪmˈbaɪb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for imbibe in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English imbiben, from Latin imbibō, from im- + bibō (“to drink”) (whence also beverage), from Proto-Italic *pibō, from Proto-Indo-European *peh₃-, whence also potable, potion. The correct English form is imbibe, spelled I-M-B-I-B-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To drink (used frequently of alcoholic beverages).
  2. 2
    To take in; absorb.
  3. 3
    To steep; to cause to absorb liquid.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Perhaps in the case of the vodka-drinking peasant it is this weekly parboil which saves his life and postpones the dreadful day when the constant imbibing of unlimited quantities of the deadly liquor must be paid for.
  2. Without its sting, the common yellowjacket would be unable to steal ham from our sandwich or imbibe the sweet juice from our peach.

Etymology

From Middle English imbiben, from Latin imbibō, from im- + bibō (“to drink”) (whence also beverage), from Proto-Italic *pibō, from Proto-Indo-European *peh₃-, whence also potable, potion.

This word in other languages

beber(Español)boire(Français)trinken(Deutsch)beber(Português)

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 "imbibe"?
"imbibe" is spelled I-M-B-I-B-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈbaɪb/.
What does "imbibe" mean?
As a verb, "imbibe" means: To drink (used frequently of alcoholic beverages).
How do you pronounce "imbibe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "imbibe" is /ɪmˈbaɪb/. 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 "imbibe"?
From Middle English imbiben, from Latin imbibō, from im- + bibō (“to drink”) (whence also beverage), from Proto-Italic *pibō, from Proto-Indo-European *peh₃-, whence also potable, potion. 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 "imbibe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Horgan#65,188hangul#65,170Gwynne#65,167kipper#65,237

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list