impairment
/ɪmˈpɛəmənt/
"impairment" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“impairment” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,932 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #13,932
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The result of being impaired.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | impairment |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪmˈpɛəmənt/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #13,932 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “impairment” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for impairment is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪmˈpɛəmənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,932 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1The result of being impaired.
- 2A deterioration or weakening.
- 3A disability or handicap.
- 4An inefficient part or factor.
- 5A downward revaluation, a write-down.
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
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.
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"?
What does "impairment" mean?
What are common misspellings of "impairment"?
How do you pronounce "impairment"?
What is the origin of the word "impairment"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “impairment”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-M-P-A-I-R-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪmˈpɛəmənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.