imperious

/ɪmˈpɪə̯.ɹi.əs/

//ɪmˈpɪə̯.ɹi.əs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“imperious” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,703. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,703
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Domineering, arrogant, or overbearing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-imperious · imperious · English

imperious · rank #43,703 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,703
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH illegality

Nearest frequency peer: illegality (-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 “imperious”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “imperious” 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).

imperious vs imperium
78% similar
imperious vs impetuous
78% similar
imperious vs impervious
90% similar

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

Key facts for imperious
PropertyValue
Headwordimperious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪmˈpɪə̯.ɹi.əs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#43,703
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “imperious”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).imperiouslands 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 “illegality” (#43,702), “Indore” (#43,705), “industrialised” (#43,706). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “imperious” is #43,703. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around imperious (IPA /ɪmˈpɪə̯.ɹi.əs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #43,703 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for imperious, with forms such as "imeprious", "immperious", and "impeirous". 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. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "imperium", "impetuous", "impervious", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin imperiōsus (“mighty, powerful”), from imperium (“command, authority, power”). The correct English form is imperious, spelled I-M-P-E-R-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Domineering, arrogant, or overbearing.
  2. 2
    Urgent; intensely compelling.
  3. 3
    Imperial or regal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The frowning lookes of fiery Tamburlaine, That with his terrour and imperious eies, Commands the hearts of his aſſociates, […]
  2. […] she glanced about her in an imperious, challenging sort of way, with looks and gestures that clearly were unstudied.

Etymology

From Latin imperiōsus (“mighty, powerful”), from imperium (“command, authority, power”).

Synonyms

authoritarianbossydictatorialdomineeringoverbearing

This word in other languages

imperioso(Español)impérieux(Français)herrisch(Deutsch)imperioso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imeprious
  • immperious
  • impeirous
  • imperiosu
  • imperiouss
  • imperiuos
  • imperoius
  • imperrious
  • impperious
  • impreious
  • ipmerious
  • miperious

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of imperious - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

imeprious2immperious1impeirous2imperiosu2imperiouss1imperiuos2imperoius2imperrious1
Edit distance from "imperious"

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 "imperious"?
"imperious" is spelled I-M-P-E-R-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpɪə̯.ɹi.əs/.
What does "imperious" mean?
As an adjective, "imperious" means: Domineering, arrogant, or overbearing.
What words are commonly confused with "imperious"?
"imperious" is commonly confused with "imperium", "impetuous", "impervious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "imperious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "imperious" is /ɪmˈpɪə̯.ɹi.əs/. 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 "imperious"?
From Latin imperiōsus (“mighty, powerful”), from imperium (“command, authority, power”). 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 "imperious", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

insincere#43,717intercity#43,720headdress#43,685goverment#43,673

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Ingraham12 variantshomebrew12 variantsgridiron12 variantsLewisham12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list