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PlainSpell

imp

/ɪmp/verb, noun

imp is spelled I-M-P: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,516th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, imp means “To engraft (a feather) on to a broken feather in a bird's wing or tail to repair it; to engraft (feathers) on to a bird, or a bird's wing or tail” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in imp?

Letters3: I-M-P
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing1.7 times per million words; the 21,516th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is imp?

Imp appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,516th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce imp?

  • US /ɪmp/

Imp has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-imp.wav, En-us-imp.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with imp?

One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as imp from its last stressed vowel (/ɪmp/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of imp

  • more imp. comparative
  • most imp. superlative
  • imps. plural
  • impp. plural
  • imps present, singular, he/she/it, plural
  • imping participle, present
  • imped participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does imp mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    obsoleteTo engraft or plant (a plant or part of one, a sapling, etc.).

  2. 2

    archaicTo graft or implant (something other than a plant); to fix or set (something) in.

  3. 3

    To engraft (a feather) on to a broken feather in a bird's wing or tail to repair it; to engraft (feathers) on to a bird, or a bird's wing or tail.

  4. 4

    To provide (someone or something) with wings, hence enabling them or it to soar.

  5. 5

    To add to or unite an object with (something) to lengthen the latter out or repair it; to eke out, enlarge, strengthen.

noun

  1. 1

    A small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature, somewhat comparable to a demon but smaller and less powerful, formerly regarded as the child of the devil or a demon (see sense 3.2).

  2. 2

    A mischievous child.

  3. 3

    A baby Tasmanian devil.

  4. 4

    UKcolloquialA supporter (or less commonly, a player) of the Lincoln City Football Club.

  5. 5

    obsoleteA young shoot of a plant, a tree, etc.; a sapling; also, a part of a plant used for grafting; a graft.

  6. 6

    obsoleteAn offspring or scion, especially of a noble family; (generally) a (usually male) child; a (young) man.

  7. 7

    UKobsoleteSomething added to or united with another to lengthen it out or repair it (such as an eke or small stand on which a beehive is placed, or a length of twisted hair in a fishing line).

  8. 8

    slangSynonym of god (“person who owns and runs a multi-user dungeon”).

noun

as IMP
  1. 1

    Initialism of inosine monophosphate.

  2. 2

    Initialism of integral membrane protein.

  3. 3

    CanadaInitialism of individual meal package.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Imp in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchdiablotin, lutin (small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent…)
GermanKobold, Teufelchen (small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent…), Bengel, Schlingel, Schelm (mischievous child)
Portuguesediabrete (small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent…), pirralho, pivete (mischievous child)
Spanishdiablillo (small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent…), pícaro (mischievous child)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

What to look up after imp