impracticable

/ɪmˈpɹaktɪkəb(ə)l/

//ɪmˈpɹaktɪkəb(ə)l// adj

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

"impracticable" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“impracticable” is uncommon English (frequency #75,067 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,067
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not practicable; impossible or difficult in practice.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impracticable · impracticable · English

impracticable · rank #75,067 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,067
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH inaccessibili…

Nearest frequency peer: inaccessibility (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “impracticable”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “impracticable” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for impracticable
PropertyValue
Headwordimpracticable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪmˈpɹaktɪkəb(ə)l/
Letters13
Frequency rank#75,067
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “impracticable” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).impracticablefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “inaccessibility” (#75,068), “illegitimacy” (#75,065), “inadvisable” (#75,069). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impracticable” is #75,067. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

impracticable is uncommon English at frequency #75,067 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɪmˈpɹaktɪkəb(ə)l/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for impracticable in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From im- + practicable. The correct English form is impracticable, spelled I-M-P-R-A-C-T-I-C-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not practicable; impossible or difficult in practice.
  2. 2
    impassable (of a passage or road)
  3. 3
    unmanageable

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It has not been used for many years, and although it was impracticable to photograph the engine in the small confines of the shed it was possible to obtain a picture of the plate which it still carries showing the former ownership.
  2. Prison abolitionists are dismissed as utopians and idealists whose ideas are at best unrealistic and impracticable, and, at worst, mystifying and foolish. This is a measure of how difficult it is to envision a social order that does not rely on the threat of sequestering people in dreadful places designed to separate them from their communities and families.

Etymology

From im- + practicable.

This word in other languages

impraticable(Français)undurchführbar(Deutsch)inviável(Português)

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 "impracticable"?
"impracticable" is spelled I-M-P-R-A-C-T-I-C-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpɹaktɪkəb(ə)l/.
What does "impracticable" mean?
As an adjective, "impracticable" means: Not practicable; impossible or difficult in practice.
How do you pronounce "impracticable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impracticable" is /ɪmˈpɹaktɪkəb(ə)l/. 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 "impracticable"?
From im- + practicable. 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 "impracticable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

insubordinate#75,077neurotoxicity#75,235northeastward#75,245photoreceptor#75,294

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list