impairment

/ɪmˈpɛəmənt/

//ɪmˈpɛəmənt// noun

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

"impairment" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“impairment” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,932. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,932
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The result of being impaired.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impairment · impairment · English

impairment · rank #13,932 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,932
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH IC

Nearest frequency peer: IC (-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 “impairment”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “impairment” 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
Key facts for impairment
PropertyValue
Headwordimpairment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪmˈpɛəmənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#13,932
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “impairment”

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).impairmentlands 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 “IC” (#13,931), “impatient” (#13,933), “humiliation” (#13,930). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impairment” is #13,932. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around impairment (IPA /ɪmˈpɛəmənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,932 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for impairment, with forms such as "imapirment", "immpairment", and "impaimrent". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English empeirement, empeyrement, emparement, from Anglo-Norman empairement, emperement, enpeirement, from Old French ampirement, anpirement, enperement, equivalent to impair + -ment. The correct English form is impairment, spelled I-M-P-A-I-R-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The result of being impaired.
  2. 2
    A deterioration or weakening.
  3. 3
    A disability or handicap.
  4. 4
    An inefficient part or factor.
  5. 5
    A downward revaluation, a write-down.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We determined that the car driver’s transportation of multiple teen passengers, limited driving experience, and likely impairment from effects of cannabis at the time of the crash adversely affected her judgment of the danger of entering the intersection in front of the approaching combination vehicle.
  2. visual impairment

Etymology

From Middle English empeirement, empeyrement, emparement, from Anglo-Norman empairement, emperement, enpeirement, from Old French ampirement, anpirement, enperement, equivalent to impair + -ment.

This word in other languages

handicap(Français)Verschlechterung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imapirment
  • immpairment
  • impaimrent
  • impairemnt
  • impairmennt
  • impairmentt
  • impairmetn
  • impairmment
  • impairmnet
  • impairrment
  • impariment
  • impiarment
  • imppairment
  • ipmairment
  • mipairment

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imapirment2immpairment1impaimrent2impairemnt2impairmennt1impairmentt1impairmetn2impairmment1
Edit distance from "impairment"

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 "impairment"?
"impairment" is spelled I-M-P-A-I-R-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpɛəmənt/.
What does "impairment" mean?
As a noun, "impairment" means: The result of being impaired.
What are common misspellings of "impairment"?
Common misspellings include "imapirment", "immpairment", "impaimrent", "impairemnt", "impairmennt". The correct spelling is "impairment".
How do you pronounce "impairment"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impairment" is /ɪmˈpɛəmənt/. 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 "impairment"?
From Middle English empeirement, empeyrement, emparement, from Anglo-Norman empairement, emperement, enpeirement, from Old French ampirement, anpirement, enperement, equivalent to impair + -ment. 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 "impairment", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hesitation#13,929lighthouse#13,948distortion#13,904cumulative#13,896

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

overcoming15 variantsprevailing15 variantsbrightest15 variantsregulating15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list