impasse
im·passe/ˈæmpɑːs/noun
impasse is spelled I-M-P-A-S-S-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (im·passe). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, impasse means “A road with no exit” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of impasse is impasses.
How many letters and syllables are in impasse?
| Letters | 7: I-M-P-A-S-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: im·passe |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,418th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is impasse?
Impasse appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce impasse?
- UK /ˈæmpɑːs/
- UK /æmˈpɑːs/
- UK /ˈɪmpɑːs/
Impasse has 2 syllables, split im·passe in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-impasse.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of impasse
- impasses plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does impasse mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A road with no exit.
- 2
A deadlock or stalemate situation in which no progress can be made.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Impasse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | impasse, impás , punto muerto, callejón sin salida |
| French | impasse, voie sans issue |
| German | Patt, Hängepartie, Sackgasse, Pattsituation, festgefahrene Situation, ausweglose Situation |
| Portuguese | impasse |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does impasse come from?
Borrowed from French impasse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).