impediment
/ɪmˈpɛdɪmənt/noun
impediment is spelled I-M-P-E-D-I-M-E-N-T: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, impediment means “A hindrance; that which impedes or obstructs progress; impedance” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of impediment is impediments.
How many letters and syllables are in impediment?
| Letters | 10: I-M-P-E-D-I-M-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,150th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is impediment?
Impediment appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th 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 impediment?
- /ɪmˈpɛdɪmənt/
Impediment has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-impediment.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of impediment
- impediments plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does impediment mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A hindrance; that which impedes or obstructs progress; impedance.
- 2
A disability, especially one affecting the hearing or speech.
Working in a noisy factory left me with a slight hearing impediment.
- 3
Baggage, especially that of an army; impedimenta.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Impediment in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense hindrance; that which impedes progress:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | empêchement, irritant, entrave |
| German | Hindernis, Behinderung |
| Portuguese | impedimento |
| Spanish | estorbo |
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 impediment come from?
From Middle English impediment, borrowed from Latin impedimentum.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).