impertinence

/ɪmˈpɜː.tɪ.nəns/

//ɪmˈpɜː.tɪ.nəns// noun

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

"impertinence" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“impertinence” is uncommon English (frequency #70,769 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,769
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lack of pertinence; irrelevance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impertinence · impertinence · English

impertinence · rank #70,769 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,769
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH impregnation

Nearest frequency peer: impregnation (+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 “impertinence”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “impertinence” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for impertinence
PropertyValue
Headwordimpertinence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪmˈpɜː.tɪ.nəns/
Letters12
Frequency rank#70,769
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “impertinence” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).impertinencefalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “impregnation” (#70,770), “illy” (#70,767), “indexation” (#70,772). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impertinence” is #70,769. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

impertinence is uncommon English at frequency #70,769 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪmˈpɜː.tɪ.nəns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for impertinence, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French impertinence, from impertinent (“impertinent”); by surface analysis, im- + pertinent. The correct English form is impertinence, spelled I-M-P-E-R-T-I-N-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lack of pertinence; irrelevance.
  2. 2
    An instance of this; a moment of being impertinent.
  3. 3
    The fact or character of being out of place; inappropriateness.
  4. 4
    Insolence; impudence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Enough, sir! " he thundered with barely restrained fury. "Enough, I say! Once and for all I must endeavour to rid myself of you and your impertinence.
  2. "Because," interrupted the actress, "I see things exactly as they are. I calculate my effects, but they do not deceive myself; you, on the contrary, live in a world of illusions, where every thing is called by such an exceedingly fine name, that it seems a downright impertinence to ascertain what it really is."

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French impertinence, from impertinent (“impertinent”); by surface analysis, im- + pertinent.

This word in other languages

impertinencia(Español)Unbedeutsamkeit(Deutsch)impertinência(Português)

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 "impertinence"?
"impertinence" is spelled I-M-P-E-R-T-I-N-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpɜː.tɪ.nəns/.
What does "impertinence" mean?
As a noun, "impertinence" means: Lack of pertinence; irrelevance.
How do you pronounce "impertinence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impertinence" is /ɪmˈpɜː.tɪ.nəns/. 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 "impertinence"?
Borrowed from Middle French impertinence, from impertinent (“impertinent”); by surface analysis, im- + pertinent. 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 "impertinence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

impregnation#70,770indoctrinate#70,773gratuitously#70,714endeavouring#70,636

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list