imperative

/ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/

//ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv// adj

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

"imperative" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“imperative” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,901. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,901
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Essential; crucial; extremely important.

Corpus desk

Index EN-imperative · imperative · English

imperative · rank #11,901 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #11,901
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH immature

Nearest frequency peer: immature (-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 “imperative”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “imperative” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

imperative vs iterative
80% similar

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

Key facts for imperative
PropertyValue
Headwordimperative
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/
Letters10
Frequency rank#11,901
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “imperative”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “immature” (#11,900), “ineffective” (#11,902), “honorary” (#11,899). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “imperative” is #11,901. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around imperative (IPA /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,901 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 imperative, with forms such as "imeprative", "immperative", and "impeartive". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "iterative", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin imperātīvus. The correct English form is imperative, spelled I-M-P-E-R-A-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Essential; crucial; extremely important.
  2. 2
    Of, or relating to the imperative mood.
  3. 3
    Having semantics that incorporates mutable variables.
  4. 4
    Expressing a command; authoritatively or absolutely directive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. That you come here right now is imperative.
  2. Meantime, alterations at King William Street had become imperative, and by December 22, 1895, the station had been remodelled, as at Stockwell, to provide an island platform with lines each side, and a scissors crossing.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin imperātīvus.

This word in other languages

imperativo(Español)impératif(Français)essenziell(Deutsch)essencial(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imeprative
  • immperative
  • impeartive
  • imperaitve
  • imperatiev
  • imperativve
  • imperattive
  • imperatvie
  • imperrative
  • impertaive
  • impperative
  • impreative
  • ipmerative
  • miperative

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imeprative2immperative1impeartive2imperaitve2imperatiev2imperativve1imperattive1imperatvie2
Edit distance from "imperative"

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 "imperative"?
"imperative" is spelled I-M-P-E-R-A-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/.
What does "imperative" mean?
As an adjective, "imperative" means: Essential; crucial; extremely important.
What words are commonly confused with "imperative"?
"imperative" is commonly confused with "iterative". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "imperative"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "imperative" is /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/. 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 "imperative"?
Borrowed from Latin imperātīvus. 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 "imperative", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

misconduct#11,916dependence#11,867peripheral#11,936prevalence#11,944

Similar misspelling depth

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

ineffective14 variantsmaternity14 variantsdisregard14 variantsdisciples14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list