impact

/ˈɪmpækt/

//ˈɪmpækt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“impact” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,273. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,273
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The striking of one body against another; collision.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impact · impact · English

impact · rank #1,273 · 9 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,273
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH imagine

Nearest frequency peer: imagine (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “impact”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “impact” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

impact vs import
67% similar
impact vs intact
67% similar
impact vs impart
83% similar

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

Key facts for impact
PropertyValue
Headwordimpact
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪmpækt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,273
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “impact”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).impactlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “imagine” (#1,272), “lack” (#1,274), “fighting” (#1,271). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impact” is #1,273. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around impact (IPA /ˈɪmpækt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,273 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for impact, with forms such as "imapct", "immpact", and "impacct". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "import", "intact", "impart", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested since the 17th century, from Latin impāctus. The correct English form is impact, spelled I-M-P-A-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The striking of one body against another; collision.
  2. 2
    The force or energy of a collision of two objects.
  3. 3
    A forced impinging.
  4. 4
    A significant or strong influence or effect.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The hatchet cut the wood on impact.
  2. His spine had an impingement; L4 and L5 made impact, which caused numbness in his leg.

Etymology

Attested since the 17th century, from Latin impāctus.

Synonyms

percussion

This word in other languages

impacto(Español)impact(Français)Aufprall(Deutsch)impacto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imapct
  • immpact
  • impacct
  • impactt
  • impatc
  • impcat
  • imppact
  • ipmact
  • mipact

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of impact - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

imapct2immpact1impacct1impactt1impatc2impcat2imppact1ipmact2
Edit distance from "impact"

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 "impact"?
"impact" is spelled I-M-P-A-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪmpækt/.
What does "impact" mean?
As a noun, "impact" means: The striking of one body against another; collision.
What words are commonly confused with "impact"?
"impact" is commonly confused with "import", "intact", "impart". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "impact"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impact" is /ˈɪmpækt/. 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 "impact"?
Attested since the 17th century, from Latin impāctus. 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 "impact", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

latest#1,275effort#1,268passed#1,281secret#1,284

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

imagine9 variantsawesome9 variantsSunday9 variantswonder9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list