imply

/ɪmˈplaɪ/

//ɪmˈplaɪ// verb

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

"imply" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“imply” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,191. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,191
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To have as a necessary consequence; to lead to (something) as a consequence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-imply · imply · English

imply · rank #9,191 · 8 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,191
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH imagery

Nearest frequency peer: imagery (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “imply”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “imply” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

imply vs IPL
0% similar
imply vs Italy
40% similar
imply vs idly
60% similar

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

Key facts for imply
PropertyValue
Headwordimply
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪmˈplaɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,191
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “imply” sits in English frequency

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).implylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “imagery” (#9,190), “humour” (#9,189), “inherent” (#9,193). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around imply (IPA /ɪmˈplaɪ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #9,191 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for imply, with forms such as "imlpy", "immply", and "implly". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "IPL", "Italy", "idly", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English implien, emplien, borrowed from Old French emplier, from Latin implicare (“to infold, involve”), from in (“in”) + plicare (“to fold”). Doublet of employ and implicate. The correct English form is imply, spelled I-M-P-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To have as a necessary consequence; to lead to (something) as a consequence.
  2. 2
    To suggest by logical inference.
  3. 3
    To hint; to insinuate; to suggest tacitly and avoid a direct statement.
  4. 4
    To enfold, entangle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Correlation does not imply causation
  2. The proposition that "all dogs are mammals" implies that my dog is a mammal.

Etymology

From Middle English implien, emplien, borrowed from Old French emplier, from Latin implicare (“to infold, involve”), from in (“in”) + plicare (“to fold”). Doublet of employ and implicate.

This word in other languages

implicar(Español)impliquer(Français)implizieren(Deutsch)implicar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imlpy
  • immply
  • implly
  • implyy
  • impply
  • impyl
  • ipmly
  • miply

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of imply - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

imlpy2immply1implly1implyy1impply1impyl2ipmly2miply2
Edit distance from "imply"

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 "imply"?
"imply" is spelled I-M-P-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈplaɪ/.
What does "imply" mean?
As a verb, "imply" means: To have as a necessary consequence; to lead to (something) as a consequence.
What words are commonly confused with "imply"?
"imply" is commonly confused with "IPL", "Italy", "idly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "imply"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "imply" is /ɪmˈplaɪ/. 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 "imply"?
From Middle English implien, emplien, borrowed from Old French emplier, from Latin implicare (“to infold, involve”), from in (“in”) + plicare (“to fold”). Doublet of employ and implicate. 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 "imply", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Floyd#9,180flown#9,179Mafia#9,208merry#9,210

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

humour8 variantsdessert8 variantsCyrus8 variantsphases8 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "imply". Here's where to go from here.

  • "imply" maps to 4 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "IPL". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #9,191 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "I" letter cohort. I–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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