impasse

/ˈæmpɑːs/

//ˈæmpɑːs// noun

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

"impasse" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“impasse” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,455. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,455
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A road with no exit; a cul-de-sac.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impasse · impasse · English

impasse · rank #30,455 · 8 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,455
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH impactful

Nearest frequency peer: impactful (-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 “impasse”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “impasse” 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).

impasse vs impose
71% similar
impasse vs impulse
71% similar

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

Key facts for impasse
PropertyValue
Headwordimpasse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæmpɑːs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#30,455
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “impasse”

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).impasselands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “impactful” (#30,454), “impotence” (#30,456), “ight” (#30,453). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impasse” is #30,455. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around impasse (IPA /ˈæmpɑːs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,455 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 impasse, with forms such as "imapsse", "immpasse", and "impase". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "impose", "impulse", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French impasse. The correct English form is impasse, spelled I-M-P-A-S-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A road with no exit; a cul-de-sac.
  2. 2
    A deadlock or stalemate situation in which no progress can be made.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. “It seems to me the thing's an impasse. French expression,” I explained, “meaning that we're stymied good and proper with no hope of finding a formula.”
  2. "Young man, this town is at a bit of an impasse. If you have any suggestion that might help, now would be the time to voice it."

Etymology

Borrowed from French impasse.

This word in other languages

punto muerto(Español)impasse(Français)Patt(Deutsch)impasse(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imapsse
  • immpasse
  • impase
  • impases
  • imppasse
  • impsase
  • ipmasse
  • mipasse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imapsse2immpasse1impase1impases2imppasse1impsase2ipmasse2mipasse2
Edit distance from "impasse"

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 "impasse"?
"impasse" is spelled I-M-P-A-S-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæmpɑːs/.
What does "impasse" mean?
As a noun, "impasse" means: A road with no exit; a cul-de-sac.
What words are commonly confused with "impasse"?
"impasse" is commonly confused with "impose", "impulse". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "impasse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impasse" is /ˈæmpɑːs/. 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 "impasse"?
Borrowed from French impasse. 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 "impasse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hedging#30,444jockeys#30,467frisbee#30,432likable#30,481

Similar misspelling depth

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

Geiger8 variantsLloyds8 variantsmaduro8 variantsMarcy8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list