impound
/ɪmˈpaʊ̯nd/verb, noun
impound is spelled I-M-P-O-U-N-D: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,808th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, impound means “To shut up or place in an enclosure called a pound” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in impound?
| Letters | 7: I-M-P-O-U-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 54,808th 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 impound?
Impound appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,808th 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 impound?
- /ɪmˈpaʊ̯nd/
As a noun (“A place in which impounded things are stored”): /ɪmˈpaʊ̯nd/, /ˈɪmpaʊ̯nd/.
Impound has 2 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-impound.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-impound2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of impound
- impounds present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- impounding participle, present
- impounded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does impound mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To shut up or place in an enclosure called a pound.
His car was impounded after he parked it illegally.
- 2
To hold back.
water impounded by a dam
- 3
To hold in the custody of a court or its delegate.
to impound stray cattle
- 4
To collect and hold (funds) for payment of property taxes and insurance on property in which one has a security interest.
noun
- 1
A place in which impounded things are stored.
- 2
The state of being impounded.
- 3
That which has been impounded.
- 4
Amounts collected from a debtor and held by one with a security interest in property for payment of property taxes and insurance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Impound in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | encerrar, confiscar , retener , incautar, requisar |
| French | confisquer |
| German | beschlagnahmen, konfiszieren |
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 impound come from?
From im- + pound.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).