impious

/ˈɪmpi.əs/

//ˈɪmpi.əs// adj

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

"impious" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“impious” is an uncommon English word, ranked #82,403 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#82,403
frequency rank, English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not pious.

Key facts for impious
PropertyValue
Headwordimpious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɪmpi.əs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#82,403
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “impious” 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). impious lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for impious is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪmpi.əs/. Corpus data places it at rank #82,403 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

impious doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin impius. The correct English form is impious, spelled I-M-P-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not pious.
  2. 2
    Lacking reverence or respect, especially towards a god.

Etymology

From Latin impius.

This word in other languages

impío(Español)impie(Français)pietätlos(Deutsch)ímpio(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 "impious"?
"impious" is spelled I-M-P-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪmpi.əs/.
What does "impious" mean?
As an adjective, "impious" means: Not pious.
How do you pronounce "impious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impious" is /ˈɪmpi.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 "impious"?
From Latin impius. 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 “impious”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-M-P-I-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɪmpi.əs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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