impish

/ˈɪmpɪʃ/

//ˈɪmpɪʃ// adj

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

"impish" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“impish” is uncommon English (frequency #79,621 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,621
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Mischievous; of or befitting an imp.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impish · impish · English

impish · rank #79,621 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #79,621
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH impaler

Nearest frequency peer: impaler (-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 “impish”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for impish
PropertyValue
Headwordimpish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɪmpɪʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#79,621
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “impish” 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).impishfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “impaler” (#79,620), “illicitly” (#79,619), “incentivise” (#79,624). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impish” is #79,621. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

impish is uncommon English at frequency #79,621 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈɪmpɪʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Mischievous; of or befitting an imp.".

impish doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From imp + -ish. The correct English form is impish, spelled I-M-P-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mischievous; of or befitting an imp.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Wild-eyed youngsters they were, with matted hair and little broad-nosed impish faces, covered (as some children are covered even nowadays) with a delicate down of hair.
  2. But the antics of Mr. Moore, though impish and impudent, are, after all, so amusing and so graceful that the governess, it is said, sometimes hides behind a tree to watch.

Etymology

From imp + -ish.

Synonyms

implikemischievouspixilatedprankishpuckish

This word in other languages

pícaro(Español)espiègle(Français)schelmisch(Deutsch)levado(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 "impish"?
"impish" is spelled I-M-P-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪmpɪʃ/.
What does "impish" mean?
As an adjective, "impish" means: Mischievous; of or befitting an imp.
How do you pronounce "impish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impish" is /ˈɪmpɪʃ/. 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 "impish"?
From imp + -ish. 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 "impish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

insole#79,630Howley#79,603ipecac#79,640Isbell#79,642

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list