imprisonment

/ɪmˈpɹɪzn̩.mənt/

//ɪmˈpɹɪzn̩.mənt// noun

"imprisonment" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“imprisonment” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,438 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,438
frequency rank, English
12
letters
19
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A confinement in a place, especially a prison or a jail, especially as punishment for a crime.

Key facts for imprisonment
PropertyValue
Headwordimprisonment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪmˈpɹɪzn̩.mənt/
Letters12
Frequency rank#8,438
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “imprisonment” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for imprisonment is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪmˈpɹɪzn̩.mənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,438 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A confinement in a place, especially a prison or a jail, especially as punishment for a crime.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for imprisonment, with forms such as "immprisonment", "impirsonment", and "impprisonment". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman emprisonement, from Old French emprisonnement. See imprison + -ment. The correct English form is imprisonment, spelled I-M-P-R-I-S-O-N-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A confinement in a place, especially a prison or a jail, especially as punishment for a crime.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman emprisonement, from Old French emprisonnement. See imprison + -ment.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: immprisonment,impirsonment,impprisonment,impriosnment,imprisnoment,imprisomnent,imprisonemnt,imprisonmennt,imprisonmentt,imprisonmetn,imprisonmment,imprisonmnet,imprisonnment,imprissonment,imprrisonment,imprsionment,imrpisonment,ipmrisonment,miprisonment

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of imprisonment - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

immprisonment1impirsonment2impprisonment1impriosnment2imprisnoment2imprisomnent2imprisonemnt2imprisonmennt1
Edit distance from "imprisonment"

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 "imprisonment"?
"imprisonment" is spelled I-M-P-R-I-S-O-N-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpɹɪzn̩.mənt/.
What does "imprisonment" mean?
As a noun, "imprisonment" means: A confinement in a place, especially a prison or a jail, especially as punishment for a crime.
What are common misspellings of "imprisonment"?
Common misspellings include "immprisonment", "impirsonment", "impprisonment", "impriosnment", "imprisnoment". The correct spelling is "imprisonment".
How do you pronounce "imprisonment"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "imprisonment" is /ɪmˈpɹɪzn̩.mənt/. 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 "imprisonment"?
From Anglo-Norman emprisonement, from Old French emprisonnement. See imprison + -ment. 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.

Using “imprisonment”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-M-P-R-I-S-O-N-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪmˈpɹɪzn̩.mənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list