impulse
im·pulse/ˈɪmpʌls/noun, verb
impulse is spelled I-M-P-U-L-S-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (im·pulse). It appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, impulse means “A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of impulse is impulses.
How many letters and syllables are in impulse?
| Letters | 7: I-M-P-U-L-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: im·pulse |
| In writing | 5.2 times per million words; the 10,843rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is impulse?
Impulse appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd 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 impulse?
- /ˈɪmpʌls/
Impulse has 2 syllables, split im·pulse in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-impulse.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of impulse
- impulses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- impulsing participle, present
- impulsed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does impulse mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels.
- 2
A wish or urge, particularly a sudden one prompting action.
The impulse to learn drove me to study night and day.
- 3
The integral of force over time.
The total impulse from the impact will depend on the kinetic energy of the projectile.
verb
- 1
To impel; to incite.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Impulse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | impulsion |
| German | Impuls, Triebkraft , Drang, innerer Antrieb , Kraftstoß |
| Portuguese | impulso |
| Spanish | impulso , impulsar |
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 impulse come from?
Borrowed from Middle French impulser, from Latin impulsus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).