immure

/ɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/

//ɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)// verb

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cloister, confine, imprison or hole up: to lock someone up or seclude oneself behind walls.

Corpus desk

Index EN-immure · immure · English

immure · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • 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 immure
PropertyValue
Headwordimmure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “immure” in English

immuresits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

immure is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The gentlemen looked at each other for a ſolution of this ſtrange event, each preſuming an order had been obtained to again immure the unfortunate Clara.
  2. [I]n the reign of Henry the Second, a body happening, by chance, to be dug up near Glastonbury Abbey, without any symptoms of putrefaction or decay, the Welch, the descendants of the Ancient Britons, tenacious of the dignity and reputation of that illustrious hero [King Arthur], vainly supposed it could be no other than the body of their justly-boasted Pe…

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list