impression

/ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/

//ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩// noun

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

"impression" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“impression” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,950. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,950
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The indentation or depression made by the pressure of one object on or into another.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impression · impression · English

impression · rank #3,950 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,950
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH holes

Nearest frequency peer: holes (-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 “impression”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “impression” 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).

impression vs impressive
80% similar
impression vs impressions
91% similar

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

Key facts for impression
PropertyValue
Headwordimpression
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/
Letters10
Frequency rank#3,950
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “impression”

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).impressionlands 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 “holes” (#3,949), “inches” (#3,951), “heroes” (#3,948). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impression” is #3,950. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around impression (IPA /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,950 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for impression, with forms such as "immpression", "imperssion", and "imppression". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "impressive", "impressions", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French impression, from Latin impressio. Equivalent to impress + -ion. The correct English form is impression, spelled I-M-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The indentation or depression made by the pressure of one object on or into another.
  2. 2
    The overall effect of something, e.g., on a person.
  3. 3
    A vague recalling of an event, a belief.
  4. 4
    An impersonation, an imitation of the mannerisms of another individual.
  5. 5
    An outward appearance.
  6. 6
    A performance metric representing an instance where a post or ad is shown once.
  7. 7
    The first coat of colour, such as the priming in house-painting etc.
  8. 8
    A print on paper from a wood block, metal plate, etc.
  9. 9
    The vivid perception of something as it is experienced, in contrast to ideas or thoughts drawn from memory or the imagination.
  10. 10
    set of copies of a publication printed at one time having the same content, layout, pagination, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His head made an impression on the pillow.
  2. He tried to make a good impression on his parents.

Etymology

From Old French impression, from Latin impressio. Equivalent to impress + -ion.

This word in other languages

impresión(Español)impression(Français)Abdruck(Deutsch)impressão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • immpression
  • imperssion
  • imppression
  • impresion
  • impresison
  • impressino
  • impressionn
  • impressoin
  • imprestion
  • imprression
  • imprsesion
  • imrpession
  • ipmression
  • mipression

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

immpression1imperssion2imppression1impresion1impresison2impressino2impressionn1impressoin2
Edit distance from "impression"

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 "impression"?
"impression" is spelled I-M-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/.
What does "impression" mean?
As a noun, "impression" means: The indentation or depression made by the pressure of one object on or into another.
What words are commonly confused with "impression"?
"impression" is commonly confused with "impressive", "impressions". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "impression"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impression" is /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/. 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 "impression"?
From Old French impression, from Latin impressio. Equivalent to impress + -ion. 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 "impression", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

corruption#3,934ambassador#3,922threatened#3,913surrounded#3,912

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

exception14 variantsmovements14 variantsconcluded14 variantsscreaming14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list