impure

/ɪmˈpjʊə(ɹ)/

//ɪmˈpjʊə(ɹ)// adj

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

"impure" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“impure” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,840. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,840
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not pure

Corpus desk

Index EN-impure · impure · English

impure · rank #30,840 · 8 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,840
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Incheon

Nearest frequency peer: Incheon (+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 “impure”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “impure” 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).

impure vs insure
67% similar
impure vs injure
67% similar
impure vs immune
67% similar

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

Key facts for impure
PropertyValue
Headwordimpure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪmˈpjʊə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#30,840
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “impure”

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).impurelands 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 “Incheon” (#30,841), “incursion” (#30,842), “inexcusable” (#30,843). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “impure” is #30,840. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around impure (IPA /ɪmˈpjʊə(ɹ)/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #30,840 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for impure, with forms such as "immpure", "imppure", and "imprue". 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. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "insure", "injure", "immune", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French impur, from Latin impūrus. The correct English form is impure, spelled I-M-P-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not pure
  2. 2
    Not pure
  3. 3
    Not pure
  4. 4
    Not pure

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The impure gemstone was not good enough to be made into a necklace, so it was thrown out.
  2. He was thinking impure thoughts involving a girl from school.

Etymology

From Middle French impur, from Latin impūrus.

Synonyms

imperfectimpuretainted

Antonyms

pureraw

This word in other languages

impuro(Español)impur(Français)unrein(Deutsch)impuro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • immpure
  • imppure
  • imprue
  • impuer
  • impurre
  • imupre
  • ipmure
  • mipure

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

immpure1imppure1imprue2impuer2impurre1imupre2ipmure2mipure2
Edit distance from "impure"

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 "impure"?
"impure" is spelled I-M-P-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈpjʊə(ɹ)/.
What does "impure" mean?
As an adjective, "impure" means: Not pure
What words are commonly confused with "impure"?
"impure" is commonly confused with "insure", "injure", "immune". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "impure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impure" is /ɪmˈpjʊə(ɹ)/. 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 "impure"?
From Middle French impur, from Latin impūrus. 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 "impure", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

kimono#30,855Leiden#30,860looped#30,869fuming#30,805

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

flack8 variantsMcNeil8 variantsFaisal8 variantsEnrico8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list