impair

/ɪmˈpɛə(ɹ)/

//ɪmˈpɛə(ɹ)// verb

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

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

The verdict

“impair” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,616. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,616
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To weaken; to affect negatively; to have a diminishing effect on.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impair · impair · English

impair · rank #31,616 · 8 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,616
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH immobile

Nearest frequency peer: immobile (-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 “impair”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “impair” 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).

impair vs impart
67% similar
impair vs impala
67% similar
impair vs impaired
75% similar

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

Key facts for impair
PropertyValue
Headwordimpair
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪmˈpɛə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#31,616
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “impair”

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).impairlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “immobile” (#31,615), “IPCC” (#31,618), “IMHO” (#31,613). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impair” is #31,616. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around impair (IPA /ɪmˈpɛə(ɹ)/), averb. Corpus frequency is #31,616 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for impair, with forms such as "imapir", "immpair", and "impairr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "impart", "impala", "impaired", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English impairen, empeiren, from Old French empeirier, from Early Medieval Latin impeiōrāre, from in- + Late Latin peiōrāre (“worsen”), from peiōrem (“worse”), comparative of malus (“bad”). The correct English form is impair, spelled I-M-P-A-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To weaken; to affect negatively; to have a diminishing effect on.
  2. 2
    To grow worse; to deteriorate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In 2016, it was announced that Jones had been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, a form of dementia that impairs the ability to communicate.
  2. Flesh may empaire,[…]but reason can repaire.

Etymology

From Middle English impairen, empeiren, from Old French empeirier, from Early Medieval Latin impeiōrāre, from in- + Late Latin peiōrāre (“worsen”), from peiōrem (“worse”), comparative of malus (“bad”).

Synonyms

hinder

This word in other languages

deteriorar(Español)détériorer(Français)beeinträchtigen(Deutsch)prejudicar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imapir
  • immpair
  • impairr
  • impari
  • impiar
  • imppair
  • ipmair
  • mipair

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of impair - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

imapir2immpair1impairr1impari2impiar2imppair1ipmair2mipair2
Edit distance from "impair"

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 "impair"?
"impair" is spelled I-M-P-A-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpɛə(ɹ)/.
What does "impair" mean?
As a verb, "impair" means: To weaken; to affect negatively; to have a diminishing effect on.
What words are commonly confused with "impair"?
"impair" is commonly confused with "impart", "impala", "impaired". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "impair"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impair" is /ɪmˈpɛə(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 "impair"?
From Middle English impairen, empeiren, from Old French empeirier, from Early Medieval Latin impeiōrāre, from in- + Late Latin peiōrāre (“worsen”), from peiōrem (“worse”), comparative of malus (“bad”). 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 "impair", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

hushed#31,607Lawler#31,630layman#31,632Layton#31,633

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

hotly8 variantsHerbie8 variantsHauser8 variantsMackie8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list