impeachment

/ɪmˈpiːt͡ʃ.mənt/

//ɪmˈpiːt͡ʃ.mənt// noun

"impeachment" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“impeachment” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,174 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#13,174
frequency rank, English
11
letters
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of calling into question or challenging the accuracy or propriety of something.

Key facts for impeachment
PropertyValue
Headwordimpeachment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪmˈpiːt͡ʃ.mənt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#13,174
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “impeachment” 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). impeachment 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 impeachment is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪmˈpiːt͡ʃ.mənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,174 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for impeachment, with forms such as "imepachment", "immpeachment", and "impaechment". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English empechement (“hindrance, impediment, obstacle, obstruction; legal accusation or charge; act of calling into question or discrediting; challenge to a claim or right”), and thence either: * from Middle English empechen, empeschen, empesche… The correct English form is impeachment, spelled I-M-P-E-A-C-H-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of calling into question or challenging the accuracy or propriety of something.
  2. 2
    The act of calling into question or challenging the accuracy or propriety of something.
  3. 3
    The act of calling into question or challenging the accuracy or propriety of something.
  4. 4
    The act of calling into question or challenging the accuracy or propriety of something.
  5. 5
    The state of being impeached.
  6. 6
    Hindrance; impediment; obstruction.

Etymology

From Middle English empechement (“hindrance, impediment, obstacle, obstruction; legal accusation or charge; act of calling into question or discrediting; challenge to a claim or right”), and thence either: * from Middle English empechen, empeschen, empesche, enpechen, impechen (“to cause to get stuck; of a ship: to run aground; to block, obstruct; to hinder, impede; to prevent; to interfere with, harm; to criticize, disparage; to bring charges against; to formally accuse of treason or another high crime”) (from Anglo-Norman empecher, Old French empechier, empeechier) + -ment (suffix forming action nouns, concrete nouns, and nouns indicating a result or a condition or state); or * from Old French empechement, empeechement, empeschement (“obstacle”) (modern French empêchement (“impediment, obstacle”)), from empeechier (“to fetter; to hinder”), empescher (“to inhibit, prevent”) + -ment (suffix forming nouns from verbs). The English word is analysable as impeach + -ment. Old French empechier, empeechier and empescher (compare modern French empêcher) are derived from Late Latin impedicāre (“to catch; to entangle”), present active infinitive of Latin impedicō (“to entangle; to fetter”), from im- (variant of in-) + pedica (“fetter, shackle; snare, trap”) (from pēs (“foot”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ped- (“to step, walk; to fall, stumble”)) + -ō. In senses 1.2 (“accusation that a person has committed a crime”) and 1.3 (“act of impeaching or charging a public official with misconduct”), the word has been used in place of Latin impetere, the present active infinitive of impetō (“to assail, attack, rush upon”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: imepachment,immpeachment,impaechment,impeacchment,impeachemnt,impeachhment,impeachmennt,impeachmentt,impeachmetn,impeachmment,impeachmnet,impeacmhent,impeahcment,impecahment,imppeachment,ipmeachment,mipeachment

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of impeachment - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

imepachment2immpeachment1impaechment2impeacchment1impeachemnt2impeachhment1impeachmennt1impeachmentt1
Edit distance from "impeachment"

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 "impeachment"?
"impeachment" is spelled I-M-P-E-A-C-H-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpiːt͡ʃ.mənt/.
What does "impeachment" mean?
As a noun, "impeachment" means: The act of calling into question or challenging the accuracy or propriety of something.
What are common misspellings of "impeachment"?
Common misspellings include "imepachment", "immpeachment", "impaechment", "impeacchment", "impeachemnt". The correct spelling is "impeachment".
How do you pronounce "impeachment"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impeachment" is /ɪmˈpiːt͡ʃ.mənt/. 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 "impeachment"?
From Middle English empechement (“hindrance, impediment, obstacle, obstruction; legal accusation or charge; act of calling into question or discrediting; challenge to a claim or right”), and thence either: * from Middle English empechen, empeschen... 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 “impeachment”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-M-P-E-A-C-H-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪmˈpiːt͡ʃ.mənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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