impel
/ɪmˈpɛl/
"impel" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“impel” is uncommon English (frequency #62,213 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #62,213
- frequency rank, English
- 2,140
- “I” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To urge a person; to press on; to incite to action or motion via intrinsic motivation.
Corpus desk
Index EN-impel · impel · English
impel · rank #62,213 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #62,213
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,140
- PHOTO-FINISH iliac
Nearest frequency peer: iliac (-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.
Long-tail ranks near “impel”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- hysteresis
hysteresis
37,791 corpus weight
- iliac
iliac
37,789 corpus weight
- impel
impel
37,788 corpus weight
- imperiled
imperiled
37,787 corpus weight
- impulsivity
impulsivity
37,786 corpus weight
- incapacitate
incapacitate
37,784 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “impel” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | impel |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪmˈpɛl/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #62,213 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “impel” in English
Rare enough to double-check
impel is uncommon English at frequency #62,213 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪmˈpɛl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for impel, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English impellen, borrowed from Latin impellō. The correct English form is impel, spelled I-M-P-E-L.
Definition
- 1To urge a person; to press on; to incite to action or motion via intrinsic motivation.
- 2To drive forward; to propel an object, to provide an impetus for motion or action.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how impel appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.
I feel impelled to reply to Roger Henry's letter about my article on being denied an apartment. I truly resent any insinuation that I "slunk back into that rotting old closet."
Etymology
From Middle English impellen, borrowed from Latin impellō.
Synonyms
Antonyms
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); 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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "impel", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).