immure

/ɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/

//ɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)// verb

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

The verdict

“immure” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To cloister, confine, imprison or hole up: to lock someone up or seclude oneself behind walls.

Key facts for immure
PropertyValue
Headwordimmure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “immure” sits in English frequency

immure falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for immure is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for immure, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English enmuren and Middle French emmurer, both from Old French enmurer, from Latin immūrō, from in- + mūrus (“wall”). Modern spelling is modelled after the Latin. The correct English form is immure, spelled I-M-M-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cloister, confine, imprison or hole up: to lock someone up or seclude oneself behind walls.
  2. 2
    To put or bury within a wall.
  3. 3
    To wall in.
  4. 4
    To trap or capture (an impurity); chiefly in the participial adjective immured and gerund or gerundial noun immuring.

Etymology

From Middle English enmuren and Middle French emmurer, both from Old French enmurer, from Latin immūrō, from in- + mūrus (“wall”). Modern spelling is modelled after the Latin.

Synonyms

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 "immure"?
"immure" is spelled I-M-M-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/.
What does "immure" mean?
As a verb, "immure" means: To cloister, confine, imprison or hole up: to lock someone up or seclude oneself behind walls.
How do you pronounce "immure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "immure" is /ɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/. 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 "immure"?
From Middle English enmuren and Middle French emmurer, both from Old French enmurer, from Latin immūrō, from in- + mūrus (“wall”). Modern spelling is modelled after the Latin. 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.

Using “immure”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-M-M-U-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list