immanent, imminent

Immanent, spelled with an a, means “inherent.”

  • The thirst for power is an immanent trait in dictators.

Imminent, spelled with an i, means “about to occur.”

  • Officials are concerned about an imminent pandemic—an influenza outbreak.

Copyright notice for Writing Tips Plus

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
A tool created and made available online by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Search by related themes

Want to learn more about a theme discussed on this page? Click on a link below to see all the pages on the Language Portal of Canada that relate to the theme you selected. The search results will be displayed in Language Navigator.