impedance

[ɪmˈpiːdn̩s]

/[ɪmˈpiːdn̩s]/ noun

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

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

The verdict

“impedance” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,867. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,867
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of impeding; that which impedes; a hindrance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impedance · impedance · English

impedance · rank #23,867 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,867
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH incline

Nearest frequency peer: incline (+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 “impedance”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “impedance” 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
Key facts for impedance
PropertyValue
Headwordimpedance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ɪmˈpiːdn̩s]
Letters9
Frequency rank#23,867
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “impedance”

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).impedancelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “incline” (#23,868), “hyperbolic” (#23,865), “incubation” (#23,869). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impedance” is #23,867. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around impedance (IPA [ɪmˈpiːdn̩s]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,867 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for impedance, with forms such as "imepdance", "immpedance", and "impdeance". 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, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From impede + -ance. In sense 2 and sense 3 it was coined by English mathematician and physicist Oliver Heaviside in 1886. The correct English form is impedance, spelled I-M-P-E-D-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of impeding; that which impedes; a hindrance.
  2. 2
    A measure of the opposition to the flow of an alternating current in a circuit; the aggregation of its resistance, and inductive and capacitive reactances; the ratio of voltage to current treated as complex quantities.
  3. 3
    A quantity analogous to electrical impedance in some other energy domain
  4. 4
    A quantity analogous to electrical impedance in some other energy domain

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Faithful yielding is therefore a display of love before God by preparing to respond to his Call to Arms, even though He may not send us into the front lines of battle if some disability or impedance of Satan prevents us from action […]

Etymology

From impede + -ance. In sense 2 and sense 3 it was coined by English mathematician and physicist Oliver Heaviside in 1886.

This word in other languages

impedancia(Español)impédance(Français)Impedanz(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imepdance
  • immpedance
  • impdeance
  • impeadnce
  • impedacne
  • impedancce
  • impedanec
  • impedannce
  • impeddance
  • impedence
  • impednace
  • imppedance
  • ipmedance
  • mipedance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imepdance2immpedance1impdeance2impeadnce2impedacne2impedancce1impedanec2impedannce1
Edit distance from "impedance"

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 "impedance"?
"impedance" is spelled I-M-P-E-D-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ɪmˈpiːdn̩s].
What does "impedance" mean?
As a noun, "impedance" means: The act of impeding; that which impedes; a hindrance.
What are common misspellings of "impedance"?
Common misspellings include "imepdance", "immpedance", "impdeance", "impeadnce", "impedacne". The correct spelling is "impedance".
How do you pronounce "impedance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impedance" is [ɪmˈpiːdn̩s]. 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 "impedance"?
From impede + -ance. In sense 2 and sense 3 it was coined by English mathematician and physicist Oliver Heaviside in 1886. 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 "impedance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

interplay#23,873grievance#23,849fortitude#23,836formality#23,835

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Israelites14 variantsharmonious14 variantsmonograph14 variantsnightlife14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list