The question of impassable versus impassible came up as I re-read a favorite series. Oh. Boy.
“The area beyond the doors is nigh impassible” would translate as “the area beyond the doors is incapable of suffering or feeling emotion”.
I think the author meant “nigh impassable”, which would mean one couldn’t pass the area.
Unfortunately, this author continues with the impassible, and while some of her characters are incapable of suffering harm or experiencing emotion, that is not the context.
| Impassable is not capable of being passed | Impassible is not capable of feeling or suffering |
|---|---|
| “Many areas that are nigh impassable . . .”
They can’t be passed. |
“Many areas that are nigh impassible . . .”
They can’t feel or suffer. |
| “. . . centuries he had been an impassable prison,”
He had been a prison that could not be escaped. |
“. . . centuries he had been an impassible prison,”
He had been a prison that couldn’t suffer or feel. |
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.
If you found this post on “Impassable versus Impassible” interesting, consider tweeting it to your friends. Subscribe to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.
| Impassable | Impassible |
|---|---|
An Impassable Road, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, by Tsgt Ben Bloker, USAF, is in the public domain, via Picryl and courtesy of the U.S. National Archives. |
The Power and Strength of God’s Foot by Kellepics is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay. — I’m not sure if this is an impassible God who won’t feel the trees and people he’s stepping on or if he simply doesn’t care. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective | Adjective |
Impossible to travel along or over
Unable to be surmounted [Of currency] Unable to be circulated |
[Mainly theology] Incapable of suffering or feeling pain
Incapable of suffering harm Incapable of emotion
|
| Examples: | |
| The narrow channels are impassable to oceangoing ships.
Heavy snow made the roads impassable. Their demand was an impassable obstacle to further negotiations. He tore the bill in half, making it impassable. |
It was a belief in an impassible God.
And according to this He gave His body in an impassible and immortal condition to His disciples. On the other hand, the bodies of the saints will be impassible, because they will lack the capability of suffering; hence impassibility in them will be a gift, but not in children. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adverb: impassably Noun: impassability, impassableness |
Adverb: impassibly Noun: impassibility, impassibleness |
| History of the Word: | |
| First recorded in 1560–70; im- + passable. | Middle English via the Old French from the ecclesiastical Latin impassibilis, from the Latin in- (not) + passibilis, from the Latin pass- meaning suffered, from the verb pati. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Impassable versus Impassible
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: impassable, impassible
Lexico.com: impassible
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Broken Bridge by Loz Pycock is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Flickr. Loki by Pat Loika is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
