impale
/ɪmˈpeɪl/
"impale" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“impale” is an uncommon English word, ranked #73,291 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #73,291
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To pierce (something) with any long, pointed object.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | impale |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪmˈpeɪl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #73,291 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “impale” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for impale is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪmˈpeɪl/. Corpus data places it at rank #73,291 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for impale in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, 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 French, from Medieval Latin impālāre, from Latin palus, whence also pale. The correct English form is impale, spelled I-M-P-A-L-E.
Definition
- 1To pierce (something) with any long, pointed object.
- 2To place two coats of arms side by side on the same shield (often those of two spouses upon marriage).
- 3To pierce with a pale; to put to death by fixing on a sharp stake.
- 4To enclose or fence with stakes.
Etymology
From Middle French, from Medieval Latin impālāre, from Latin palus, whence also pale.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “impale”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-M-P-A-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪmˈpeɪl/ (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.