important

/ɪmˈpɔː.tənt/

//ɪmˈpɔː.tənt// adj

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

"important" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“important” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #347. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#347
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having relevant and crucial value; having import.

Corpus desk

Index EN-important · important · English

important · rank #347 · 14 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #347
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH hope

Nearest frequency peer: hope (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “important”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “important” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

important vs impotent
78% similar
important vs importantly
82% similar
important vs importance
80% similar

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

Key facts for important
PropertyValue
Headwordimportant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪmˈpɔː.tənt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#347
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “important”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).importantlands 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 “hope” (#346), “least” (#348), “health” (#345). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “important” is #347. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around important (IPA /ɪmˈpɔː.tənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #347 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for important, with forms such as "immportant", "imoprtant", and "imporatnt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "impotent", "importantly", "importance", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English important, from Medieval Latin important-, importāns. By surface analysis, import (“to be important”) + -ant. Displaced native Old English heah and hefig. The correct English form is important, spelled I-M-P-O-R-T-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having relevant and crucial value; having import.
  2. 2
    Pompous; self-important.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We thought it important for there to be a fire escape at the back of every building.
  2. Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between. His clerks, however, understood him very well.

Etymology

From Middle English important, from Medieval Latin important-, importāns. By surface analysis, import (“to be important”) + -ant. Displaced native Old English heah and hefig.

Synonyms

significantweightykeybigcentralconsequentialcriticalcrucialepochfulessentialextraordinaryfatefulfatefraughtfatesomeheavypivotalhigh on the totem polehistoricinnegligiblelife-or-deathmeaningfulnecessarynotednoticeableobservableoutstandingparamountpertinentrelevantremarkablesalientunignorablevaluablevital

Antonyms

negligibleignorablepettyslightunimportantinconsequentialinsignificantminortrivialunremarkable

This word in other languages

importante(Español)important(Français)wichtig(Deutsch)importante(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • immportant
  • imoprtant
  • imporatnt
  • imporrtant
  • importannt
  • importantt
  • importatn
  • importnat
  • importtant
  • impotrant
  • impportant
  • improtant
  • ipmortant
  • miportant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of important - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

immportant1imoprtant2imporatnt2imporrtant1importannt1importantt1importatn2importnat2
Edit distance from "important"

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 "important"?
"important" is spelled I-M-P-O-R-T-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpɔː.tənt/.
What does "important" mean?
As an adjective, "important" means: Having relevant and crucial value; having import.
What words are commonly confused with "important"?
"important" is commonly confused with "impotent", "importantly", "importance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "important"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "important" is /ɪmˈpɔː.tənt/. 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 "important"?
From Middle English important, from Medieval Latin important-, importāns. By surface analysis, import (“to be important”) + -ant. Displaced native Old English heah and hefig. 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 "important", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

president#340following#328including#278community#454

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

something14 variantsSeptember14 variantscharacter14 variantspublished14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list