impatient

/ɪmˈpeɪʃənt/

//ɪmˈpeɪʃənt// adj

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

"impatient" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“impatient” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,933 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#13,933
frequency rank, English
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Restless, short of temper, and intolerant of delays.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

impatient vs impotent
78% similar
impatient vs inpatient
89% similar
impatient vs impatiently
82% similar

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

Key facts for impatient
PropertyValue
Headwordimpatient
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪmˈpeɪʃənt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#13,933
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “impatient” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). impatient lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for impatient is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪmˈpeɪʃənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,933 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.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for impatient, with forms such as "imaptient", "immpatient", and "impaitent". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "impotent", "inpatient", "impatiently", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French impacient (modern French impatient), from Latin impatiēns. By surface analysis, im- + patient. The correct English form is impatient, spelled I-M-P-A-T-I-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Restless, short of temper, and intolerant of delays.
  2. 2
    Anxious and eager, especially to begin or have something.
  3. 3
    Not to be borne; unendurable.
  4. 4
    Prompted by, or exhibiting, impatience.

Etymology

From Old French impacient (modern French impatient), from Latin impatiēns. By surface analysis, im- + patient.

This word in other languages

impaciente(Español)impatient(Français)ungeduldig(Deutsch)impaciente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: imaptient,immpatient,impaitent,impateint,impatiennt,impatientt,impatietn,impatinet,impattient,imppatient,imptaient,ipmatient,mipatient

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imaptient2immpatient1impaitent2impateint2impatiennt1impatientt1impatietn2impatinet2
Edit distance from "impatient"

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 "impatient"?
"impatient" is spelled I-M-P-A-T-I-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpeɪʃənt/.
What does "impatient" mean?
As an adjective, "impatient" means: Restless, short of temper, and intolerant of delays.
What words are commonly confused with "impatient"?
"impatient" is commonly confused with "impotent", "inpatient", "impatiently". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "impatient"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impatient" is /ɪmˈpeɪʃənt/. 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 "impatient"?
From Old French impacient (modern French impatient), from Latin impatiēns. By surface analysis, im- + patient. 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.

Using “impatient”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-M-P-A-T-I-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪmˈpeɪʃənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “impotent” - see the side-by-side comparison. impatient vs impotent
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list