impotence
/ˈɪmpətəns/noun
impotence is spelled I-M-P-O-T-E-N-C-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, impotence means “Powerlessness; incapacity” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of impotence is impotences.
How many letters and syllables are in impotence?
| Letters | 9: I-M-P-O-T-E-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,418th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is impotence?
Impotence appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th 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 impotence?
- /ˈɪmpətəns/
Impotence has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-impotence.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of impotence
- impotences plural
- impotency
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does impotence mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Powerlessness; incapacity.
Near-synonyms: weakness, helplessness
- 2
Inability to copulate or beget children; sterility, erectile dysfunction, etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Impotence in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | impuissance |
| German | Machtlosigkeit , Impotenz, Zeugungsunfähigkeit |
| Portuguese | impotência |
| Spanish | impotencia |
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 impotence come from?
From Middle French impotence, from Latin impotentia.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).