impassable

adj

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

The verdict

“impassable” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,854. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,854
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impassable · impassable · English

impassable · rank #39,854 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #39,854
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH iguana

Nearest frequency peer: iguana (-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 “impassable”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “impassable” 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).

impassable vs impossible
80% similar

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

Key facts for impassable
PropertyValue
Headwordimpassable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters10
Frequency rank#39,854
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “impassable”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).impassablelands 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 “iguana” (#39,853), “impatiently” (#39,855), “Hutt” (#39,852). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impassable” is #39,854. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around impassable, anadjective. Corpus frequency is #39,854 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for impassable, with forms such as "imapssable", "immpassable", and "impasable". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "impossible", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From im- + pass + -able. The correct English form is impassable, spelled I-M-P-A-S-S-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated.
  2. 2
    Incapable of being overcome or surmounted.
  3. 3
    Not usable as legal tender.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. At the same time, the encroachment of vegetation proceeds apace, and broom and brambles have already made portions of the line impassable, even on foot.
  2. [...] at Cowley Bridge Junction, east of Exeter, both lines were impassable from about 1.30 p.m.—the first flooding of the junction for 36 years—and by the evening the water had risen two-thirds of the way up the platforms at St. Davids as Exeter faced its worst flooding for 60 years.

Etymology

From im- + pass + -able.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imapssable
  • immpassable
  • impasable
  • impasasble
  • impassabble
  • impassabel
  • impassablle
  • impassalbe
  • impassbale
  • impassible
  • imppassable
  • impsasable
  • ipmassable
  • mipassable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of impassable - 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.

imapssable2immpassable1impasable1impasasble2impassabble1impassabel2impassablle1impassalbe2
Edit distance from "impassable"

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 "impassable"?
"impassable" is spelled I-M-P-A-S-S-A-B-L-E.
What does "impassable" mean?
As an adjective, "impassable" means: Incapable of being passed over, crossed, or negotiated.
What words are commonly confused with "impassable"?
"impassable" is commonly confused with "impossible". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "impassable"?
From im- + pass + -able. 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 "impassable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list