imposter

noun

"imposter" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“imposter” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,682 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#33,682
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Alternative spelling of impostor.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

imposter vs impostor
88% similar
imposter vs impose
75% similar
imposter vs imposed
75% similar

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

Key facts for imposter
PropertyValue
Headwordimposter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#33,682
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “imposter” 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). imposter 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 imposter is 8 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #33,682 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Alternative spelling of impostor.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for imposter, with forms such as "immposter", "imopster", and "imposetr". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "impostor", "impose", "imposed", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Replacement of impostor -or with -er. The correct English form is imposter, spelled I-M-P-O-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alternative spelling of impostor.

Etymology

Replacement of impostor -or with -er.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: immposter,imopster,imposetr,imposster,imposterr,impostre,impostter,impotser,impposter,impsoter,ipmoster,miposter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of imposter - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

immposter1imopster2imposetr2imposster1imposterr1impostre2impostter1impotser2
Edit distance from "imposter"

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 "imposter"?
"imposter" is spelled I-M-P-O-S-T-E-R.
What does "imposter" mean?
As a noun, "imposter" means: Alternative spelling of impostor.
What words are commonly confused with "imposter"?
"imposter" is commonly confused with "impostor", "impose", "imposed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "imposter"?
Replacement of impostor -or with -er. 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 “imposter”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-M-P-O-S-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “impostor” - see the side-by-side comparison. imposter vs impostor
  • 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