imp

\ɪmp\

/\ɪmp\/ noun

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

The verdict

“imp” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #16,907) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#16,907
frequency rank, French
3,561
“I” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Jeune pousse de plante, scion, greffe.

Corpus desk

Index FR-imp · imp · French

imp · rank #16,907 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,907
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,561
  • PHOTO-FINISH immortel

Nearest frequency peer: immortel (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “imp”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “imp” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

imp vs it
33% similar
imp vs IP
0% similar
imp vs ix
33% similar

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

Key facts for imp
PropertyValue
Headwordimp
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɪmp\
Letters3
Frequency rank#16,907
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Où “imp” se place dans la fréquence du français

De gauche à droite: le peu qui porte la parole quotidienne, puis la longue queue quasi invisible.impse place ici:

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

L'axe est logarithmique: chaque tic marque environ dix fois moins de fréquence. Dans la même bande de rareté figurent « immortel » (#16,906), « impliquées » (#16,908), « illimitée » (#16,905). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for imp is neighbouring look-alikes ("it", "IP", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced \ɪmp\. Frequency #16,907 among 3,561 “I” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for imp, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "it", "IP", "ix", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is imp, spelled I-M-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Jeune pousse de plante, scion, greffe.
  2. 2
    Lutin, diablotin.
  3. 3
    Enfant espiègle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. An imp is a child of the Devil; a malevolent supernatural creature, similar to a demon but smaller and less powerful.
  2. I've left my young children to look after themselves, and a more mischievous and troublesome set of young imps doesn't exist, ma'am.

Synonyms

bratscampurchin

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 "imp"?
"imp" is spelled I-M-P. The IPA pronunciation is \ɪmp\.
What does "imp" mean?
As a noun, "imp" means: Jeune pousse de plante, scion, greffe.
What words are commonly confused with "imp"?
"imp" is commonly confused with "it", "IP", "ix". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "imp"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "imp" is \ɪmp\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "imp" come from?
"imp" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "imp", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fis#16,880fig#16,879ein#16,865Noé#16,956

What to do next

You've looked up "imp". Here's where to go from here.

  • "imp" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "it". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #16,907 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "I" letter cohort. I–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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