imminent

\i.mi.nɑ̃\

/\i.mi.nɑ̃\/ adj

The verdict

“imminent” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #18,776 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#18,776
frequency rank, French
8
letters
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui menace de survenir, en parlant d’un danger, d’un événement redouté.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

imminent vs imminente
89% similar
imminent vs imitent
75% similar
imminent vs imaginent
78% similar

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

Key facts for imminent
PropertyValue
Headwordimminent
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\i.mi.nɑ̃\
Letters8
Frequency rank#18,776
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “imminent” sits in French 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). imminent 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 French entry for imminent is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \i.mi.nɑ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #18,776 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for imminent, with forms such as "imimnent", "iminent", and "immiennt". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "imminente", "imitent", "imaginent", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is imminent, spelled I-M-M-I-N-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui menace de survenir, en parlant d’un danger, d’un événement redouté.
  2. 2
    Qui est sur le point d’avoir lieu.
  3. 3
    Qui menace de devenir, ou qui sera prochainement.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: imimnent,iminent,immiennt,imminennt,imminentt,imminetn,imminnent,imminnet,immnient,miminent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imimnent2iminent1immiennt2imminennt1imminentt1imminetn2imminnent1imminnet2
Edit distance from "imminent"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "imminent"?
"imminent" is spelled I-M-M-I-N-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is \i.mi.nɑ̃\.
What does "imminent" mean?
As an adjective, "imminent" means: Qui menace de survenir, en parlant d’un danger, d’un événement redouté.
What words are commonly confused with "imminent"?
"imminent" is commonly confused with "imminente", "imitent", "imaginent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "imminent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "imminent" is \i.mi.nɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "imminent" come from?
"imminent" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “imminent”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is I-M-M-I-N-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \i.mi.nɑ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “imminente” - see the side-by-side comparison. imminent vs imminente
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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