Which to use
“import” is a noun and “impur” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,562
- “import” frequency rank
- #30,648
- “impur” frequency rank
- 50210
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | import | impur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Importation. | Qui n’est pas pur. |
Where the eye mixes import and impur
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between import and impur
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: import is \ɛ̃.pɔʁ\ while impur is \ɛ̃.pyʁ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50210, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
import is recorded at frequency rank #19,562, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɛ̃.pɔʁ\. impur is at rank #30,648, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ɛ̃.pyʁ\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 50210, this pair ranks #164,425 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of import vs impur
Shared letters: impr. Private to "import": ot. Private to "impur": u.
"import" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "impur" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "import" for "impur" ever safe?
Which is more common, "import" or "impur"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "import" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "impur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #164,425 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "import" and "impur" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "impec vs impur". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #164,425 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.