impassible

/ɪmˈpasɪbəl/

//ɪmˈpasɪbəl// adj

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

The verdict

“impassible” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unable to feel emotion; impassive.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impassible · impassible · English

impassible · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "I" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for impassible
PropertyValue
Headwordimpassible
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪmˈpasɪbəl/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “impassible” in English

impassibleranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

impassible is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɪmˈpasɪbəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for impassible in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French impassible. The correct English form is impassible, spelled I-M-P-A-S-S-I-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unable to feel emotion; impassive.
  2. 2
    Incapable of suffering detriment or injury.
  3. 3
    Unable to suffer, or feel pain.
  4. 4
    Misspelling of impassable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. [W]e say it is unreasonable, that this [the bread or host of the Eucharist] should be changed into flesh, […] into that body of Christ, which is in heaven; he remaining there, and being whole and impassible, and unfrangible, this, we say, is unreasonable and impossible: […]

Etymology

From Old French impassible.

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "impassible"?
"impassible" is spelled I-M-P-A-S-S-I-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpasɪbəl/.
What does "impassible" mean?
As an adjective, "impassible" means: Unable to feel emotion; impassive.
How do you pronounce "impassible"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impassible" is /ɪmˈpasɪbəl/. 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 "impassible"?
From Old French impassible. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list