impost

/ˈɪmpəʊst/

//ˈɪmpəʊst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“impost” is uncommon English (frequency #84,388 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,388
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tax, tariff or duty that is imposed, especially on merchandise.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impost · impost · English

impost · rank #84,388 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #84,388
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH immer

Nearest frequency peer: immer (-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 “impost”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “impost” 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
Key facts for impost
PropertyValue
Headwordimpost
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪmpəʊst/
Letters6
Frequency rank#84,388
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “impost” 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).impostlands 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 “immer” (#84,387), “Ilyich” (#84,386), “Inari” (#84,390). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

impost is uncommon English at frequency #84,388 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɪmpəʊst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for impost, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. 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: Borrowed from Middle French impost, itself borrowed or adapted from Latin impōsitus, past participle of impōnō (“I impose”). The correct English form is impost, spelled I-M-P-O-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A tax, tariff or duty that is imposed, especially on merchandise.
  2. 2
    The weight that must be carried by a horse in a race; the handicap.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. ’Tis a Land-tax, vvhich he’s too poor to pay; / You, therefore muſt ſome other Impoſt lay.
  2. 1752, David Hume, Political Discourses, Edinburgh: A. Kincaid and A. Donaldson, “Of Taxes,” p. 120, […] a duty upon commodities checks itself; and a prince will soon find, that an encrease of the impost is no encrease of his revenue.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French impost, itself borrowed or adapted from Latin impōsitus, past participle of impōnō (“I impose”).

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 "impost"?
"impost" is spelled I-M-P-O-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪmpəʊst/.
What does "impost" mean?
As a noun, "impost" means: A tax, tariff or duty that is imposed, especially on merchandise.
How do you pronounce "impost"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impost" is /ˈɪmpəʊst/. 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 "impost"?
Borrowed from Middle French impost, itself borrowed or adapted from Latin impōsitus, past participle of impōnō (“I impose”). 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 "impost", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Ilyich#84,386Ilocos#84,385Jibril#84,411Jokowi#84,414

What to do next

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

  • Usage frequency rank #84,388 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
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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