imperial
/ɪmˈpɪɹ.i.əl/adjective, noun
imperial is spelled I-M-P-E-R-I-A-L: 8 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, imperial means “Related to an empire, emperor, or empress” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in imperial?
| Letters | 8: I-M-P-E-R-I-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 16 times per million words; the 5,025th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is imperial?
Imperial appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th 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 imperial?
- UK /ɪmˈpɪə.ɹi.əl/
- US /ɪmˈpɪɹ.i.əl/
Imperial 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-imperial.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with imperial?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as imperial from its last stressed vowel (/ɪɹiəl/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of imperial
- more imperial comparative
- most imperial superlative
- imperials plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does imperial mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Related to an empire, emperor, or empress.
- 2
Relating to the British imperial system of measurement.
- 3
Very grand or fine.
- 4
Of special, superior, or unusual size or excellence.
- 5
Stronger than typical. (Derived from the name of Russian Imperial stout, a strong dark beer.)
Imperial pale ale, Imperial IPA, Imperial pilsner, Imperial milk stout, Imperial lager, Imperial mead
noun
- 1
A bottle of wine (usually Bordeaux) containing 6 liters of fluid, eight times the volume of a standard bottle.
- 2
A writing paper size measuring 30 × 22 inches, or printing paper measuring 32 × 22 inches.
- 3
A card game differing from piquet in some minor details, and in having a trump.
- 4
Any of several combinations of cards which score in this game.
- 5
A crown imperial.
- 6
A tuft of hair on the lower lip (so called from its use by Napoleon III).
- 7
A kind of dome, as in Moorish buildings.
- 8
An outside or roof seat on a diligence or carriage.
adjective
- 1
Clipping of Imperial Japanese.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:Imperial.
- 2
Alternative letter-case form of imperial (“of alcohol: stronger”).
noun
- 1
A large Bordeaux wine bottle with the capacity of about 6 liters, equivalent to 8 standard bottles.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate imperial?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of imperial: imp..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Imperial in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | impérial , royal |
| German | kaiserlich , imperial, zöllig |
| Portuguese | imperial |
| Spanish | imperial |
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 imperial come from?
From Middle English imperial, from Old French imperial, from Latin imperiālis (“of the empire or emperor, imperial”), from imperium (“empire, imperial government”) + -ālis, from imperō (“command, order”), from im- (“form of in”) + parō (“prepare, arrange; intend”). Displaced Old English cāserlīċ.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).