impotent

/ˈɪm.pə.tənt/

//ˈɪm.pə.tənt// adj

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

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

The verdict

“impotent” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,509. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,509
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lacking physical strength or vigor; weak

Corpus desk

Index EN-impotent · impotent · English

impotent · rank #27,509 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,509
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH impossibility

Nearest frequency peer: impossibility (-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 “impotent”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “impotent” 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).

impotent vs important
78% similar
impotent vs impatient
78% similar
impotent vs impotence
78% similar

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

Key facts for impotent
PropertyValue
Headwordimpotent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɪm.pə.tənt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#27,509
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “impotent”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).impotentlands 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 “impossibility” (#27,508), “inconsiderate” (#27,510), “insatiable” (#27,512). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impotent” is #27,509. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around impotent (IPA /ˈɪm.pə.tənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #27,509 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for impotent, with forms such as "immpotent", "imoptent", and "impoetnt". 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, "important", "impatient", "impotence", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French impotent, from Latin impotēns, from in- (expresses negation) + potēns (“powerful”). The correct English form is impotent, spelled I-M-P-O-T-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lacking physical strength or vigor; weak
  2. 2
    Lacking in power, as to act effectively; helpless
  3. 3
    Incapable of sexual intercourse, often because of an inability to achieve or sustain an erection, having impotentia coeundi.
  4. 4
    Sterile
  5. 5
    Lacking self-restraint

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Technology without morality is barbarous; morality without technology is impotent
  2. A person smeared with the excrement of a mouse was rendered impotent, according to Pliny the Elder.

Etymology

From Old French impotent, from Latin impotēns, from in- (expresses negation) + potēns (“powerful”).

Antonyms

potent

This word in other languages

impuissant(Français)impotent(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • immpotent
  • imoptent
  • impoetnt
  • impotennt
  • impotentt
  • impotetn
  • impotnet
  • impottent
  • imppotent
  • imptoent
  • ipmotent
  • mipotent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of impotent - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

immpotent1imoptent2impoetnt2impotennt1impotentt1impotetn2impotnet2impottent1
Edit distance from "impotent"

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 "impotent"?
"impotent" is spelled I-M-P-O-T-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪm.pə.tənt/.
What does "impotent" mean?
As an adjective, "impotent" means: Lacking physical strength or vigor; weak
What words are commonly confused with "impotent"?
"impotent" is commonly confused with "important", "impatient", "impotence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "impotent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impotent" is /ˈɪm.pə.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 "impotent"?
From Old French impotent, from Latin impotēns, from in- (expresses negation) + potēns (“powerful”). 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 "impotent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

intrepid#27,518Jeanette#27,521Kawasaki#27,527Hatfield#27,487

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Lombardi12 variantsfruitless12 variantsmerciless12 variantsmortuary12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list