impulsif

\ɛ̃.pyl.sif\

/\ɛ̃.pyl.sif\/ adj

The verdict

“impulsif” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #28,205 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#28,205
frequency rank, French
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui donne une impulsion.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

impulsif vs impulsion
78% similar
impulsif vs impulsive
78% similar
impulsif vs impulse
75% similar

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

Key facts for impulsif
PropertyValue
Headwordimpulsif
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ɛ̃.pyl.sif\
Letters8
Frequency rank#28,205
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “impulsif” 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). impulsif 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 impulsif is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɛ̃.pyl.sif\. Corpus data places it at rank #28,205 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for impulsif, with forms such as "immpulsif", "implusif", and "imppulsif". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "impulsion", "impulsive", "impulse", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is impulsif, spelled I-M-P-U-L-S-I-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui donne une impulsion.
  2. 2
    Qui obéit sans résistance à l’impulsion de sa passion, de son caprice, plus forte que celle de sa volonté.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: immpulsif,implusif,imppulsif,impulisf,impullsif,impulsfi,impulsiff,impulssif,impuslif,imuplsif,ipmulsif,mipulsif

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of impulsif - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

immpulsif1implusif2imppulsif1impulisf2impullsif1impulsfi2impulsiff1impulssif1
Edit distance from "impulsif"

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 "impulsif"?
"impulsif" is spelled I-M-P-U-L-S-I-F. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛ̃.pyl.sif\.
What does "impulsif" mean?
As an adjective, "impulsif" means: Qui donne une impulsion.
What words are commonly confused with "impulsif"?
"impulsif" is commonly confused with "impulsion", "impulsive", "impulse". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "impulsif"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "impulsif" is \ɛ̃.pyl.sif\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "impulsif" come from?
"impulsif" 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 “impulsif”

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

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