impulsive

/ɪmˈpʌlsɪv/

//ɪmˈpʌlsɪv// adj

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

"impulsive" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“impulsive” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,389. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,389
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-impulsive · impulsive · English

impulsive · rank #20,389 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,389
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH impetus

Nearest frequency peer: impetus (-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 “impulsive”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “impulsive” 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).

impulsive vs impulsively
82% similar
impulsive vs impulse
78% similar

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

Key facts for impulsive
PropertyValue
Headwordimpulsive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪmˈpʌlsɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#20,389
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “impulsive”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).impulsivelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “impetus” (#20,388), “incense” (#20,390), “imaginable” (#20,387). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impulsive” is #20,389. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around impulsive (IPA /ɪmˈpʌlsɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #20,389 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for impulsive, with forms such as "immpulsive", "implusive", and "imppulsive". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "impulsively", "impulse", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French impulsif, from Latin impulsivus. The correct English form is impulsive, spelled I-M-P-U-L-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent.
  2. 2
    Actuated by impulse or by transient feelings; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration.
  3. 3
    Acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous – said of forces.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Poor men! poor papers! We and they / Do some impulsive force obey.
  2. my heart, impulsive and wayward

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French impulsif, from Latin impulsivus.

This word in other languages

impulsivo(Español)impulsif(Français)impulsiv(Deutsch)impulsivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • immpulsive
  • implusive
  • imppulsive
  • impulisve
  • impullsive
  • impulsiev
  • impulsivve
  • impulssive
  • impulsvie
  • impuslive
  • imuplsive
  • ipmulsive
  • mipulsive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of impulsive - 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.

immpulsive1implusive2imppulsive1impulisve2impullsive1impulsiev2impulsivve1impulssive1
Edit distance from "impulsive"

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 "impulsive"?
"impulsive" is spelled I-M-P-U-L-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpʌlsɪv/.
What does "impulsive" mean?
As an adjective, "impulsive" means: Having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent.
What words are commonly confused with "impulsive"?
"impulsive" is commonly confused with "impulsively", "impulse". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "impulsive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impulsive" is /ɪmˈpʌlsɪv/. 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 "impulsive"?
Borrowed from Middle French impulsif, from Latin impulsivus. 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 "impulsive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

inserting#20,393inventing#20,395Hitchcock#20,382Hiroshima#20,381

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

hydrated13 variantsformative13 variantslymphoma13 variantsfirepower13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list