impostor
im·pos·tor/ɪmˈpɑstɚ/noun
impostor is spelled I-M-P-O-S-T-O-R: 8 letters and 3 syllables (im·pos·tor). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, impostor means “Someone who attempts to deceive by using an assumed name or identity” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of impostor is impostors.
How many letters and syllables are in impostor?
| Letters | 8: I-M-P-O-S-T-O-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: im·pos·tor |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,998th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is impostor?
Impostor appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce impostor?
- UK /ɪmˈpɒstə/
- US /ɪmˈpɑstɚ/
Impostor has 3 syllables, split im·pos·tor in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-impostor.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with impostor?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as impostor from its last stressed vowel (/ɑstəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of impostor
- impostors plural
- imposter
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does impostor mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Someone who attempts to deceive by using an assumed name or identity.
- 2
A sprite or animation integrated into a three-dimensional scene to look like part of the 3D world.
- 3
A term referenced in an unusual grammatical person.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Impostor in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense someone who uses an assumed identity:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | imposteur, impostrice, imposteuse |
| German | Hochstapler, Betrüger |
| Portuguese | impostor, impostora |
| Spanish | impostor, impostora |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does impostor come from?
Borrowed from Middle French imposteur, respelled in the Latin manner; ultimately from Latin impositor, agent form of Latin imponere (“to impose”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).