impose

\ɛ̃.poz\

/\ɛ̃.poz\/ verb

The verdict

“impose” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,579 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#2,579
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de imposer.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

impose vs impôt
50% similar
impose vs impôts
50% similar
impose vs impute
67% similar

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

Key facts for impose
PropertyValue
Headwordimpose
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ɛ̃.poz\
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,579
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “impose” 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). impose 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 impose is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɛ̃.poz\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,579 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for impose, with forms such as "immpose", "imopse", and "impoes". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "impôt", "impôts", "impute", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is impose, spelled I-M-P-O-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de imposer.
  2. 2
    Troisième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de imposer.
  3. 3
    Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de imposer.
  4. 4
    Troisième personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de imposer.
  5. 5
    Deuxième personne du singulier de l’impératif de imposer.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: immpose,imopse,impoes,imposse,imppose,impsoe,ipmose,mipose

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

immpose1imopse2impoes2imposse1imppose1impsoe2ipmose2mipose2
Edit distance from "impose"

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 "impose"?
"impose" is spelled I-M-P-O-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛ̃.poz\.
What does "impose" mean?
As a verb, "impose" means: Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de imposer.
What words are commonly confused with "impose"?
"impose" is commonly confused with "impôt", "impôts", "impute". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "impose"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impose" is \ɛ̃.poz\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "impose" come from?
"impose" 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 “impose”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is I-M-P-O-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɛ̃.poz\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “impôt” - see the side-by-side comparison. impose vs impôt
  • 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