impersonation

noun

"impersonation" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“impersonation” has 20 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,120. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,120
frequency rank, English
17,902
“I” headwords
20
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - the act of impersonating

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

impersonation vs impersonator
85% similar
impersonation vs impersonating
85% similar

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

Key facts for impersonation
PropertyValue
Headwordimpersonation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters13
Frequency rank#34,120
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “impersonation” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around impersonation, anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,120 among 17,902 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "the act of impersonating".

Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for impersonation, with forms such as "imeprsonation", "immpersonation", and "imperosnation". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "impersonator", "impersonating", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From im- + person + -ation or impersonate + -ion. The correct English form is impersonation, spelled I-M-P-E-R-S-O-N-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    the act of impersonating

Etymology

From im- + person + -ation or impersonate + -ion.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imeprsonation
  • immpersonation
  • imperosnation
  • imperrsonation
  • impersnoation
  • impersoantion
  • impersonaiton
  • impersonasion
  • impersonatino
  • impersonationn
  • impersonatoin
  • impersonattion
  • impersonnation
  • impersontaion
  • imperssonation
  • impesronation
  • imppersonation
  • impresonation
  • ipmersonation
  • mipersonation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of impersonation - 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.

imeprsonation2immpersonation1imperosnation2imperrsonation1impersnoation2impersoantion2impersonaiton2impersonasion1
Edit distance from "impersonation"

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 "impersonation"?
"impersonation" is spelled I-M-P-E-R-S-O-N-A-T-I-O-N.
What does "impersonation" mean?
As a noun, "impersonation" means: the act of impersonating
What words are commonly confused with "impersonation"?
"impersonation" is commonly confused with "impersonator", "impersonating". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "impersonation"?
From im- + person + -ation or impersonate + -ion. 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.

Using “impersonation”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-M-P-E-R-S-O-N-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “impersonator” - see the side-by-side comparison. impersonation vs impersonator
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list