impertinent
/ɪmˈpɝ.tɪ.nənt/adjective, noun
impertinent is spelled I-M-P-E-R-T-I-N-E-N-T: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, impertinent means “Insolent, ill-mannered or disrespectful; Disregardful” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in impertinent?
| Letters | 11: I-M-P-E-R-T-I-N-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,949th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is impertinent?
Impertinent appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th 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 impertinent?
- UK /ɪmˈpɜː.tɪ.nənt/
- US /ɪmˈpɝ.tɪ.nənt/
- US /ɪmˈpɝt.nənt/
Impertinent 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-impertinent.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of impertinent
- more impertinent comparative
- most impertinent superlative
- impertinents plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does impertinent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Insolent, ill-mannered or disrespectful; Disregardful.
- 2
archaicNot pertaining or related to (something or someone); Irrelevant or useless.
noun
- 1
An impertinent individual.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Impertinent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | unverschämt, impertinent , irrelevant, unwichtig |
| Portuguese | impertinente |
| Spanish | impertinente, maleducado |
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 impertinent come from?
Inherited from Middle English impertinent, from Middle French impertinent, from Old French impertinent, from Latin impertinēns; by surface analysis, im- + pertinent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).