In this installment of Word Knots we’ll focus on another two words that are often confused. 

Once again our source for this is installment is The Dictionary of Disagreeable English by Robert Hartwell Fiske (Chicago: Writer’s Digest Books). It’s a great book: Check it out.

From Fiske (excerpted):

impassible

Misused for impassable.

As Fiske writes (excerpted):

Impassible means unable to feel pain or suffering; impassive. Impassable means impossible to pass or travel over.

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Here are the most relevant Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary definitions (excerpted):

impassible

adjective

1 a: incapable of suffering or of experiencing pain

2 : incapable of feeling : impassive

impassable

adjective

     : incapable of being passed, traveled, crossed, or surmounted

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The distinctions are pretty clear and I think the easiest way to distinguish the two is to remember that impassible relates to being impassive.

Let’s look at an example of each.

As a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, late in life Tom became increasingly impassible.

The bridge was the only way to cross the Snake River: Otherwise is was completely impassable.

Once again,  word choice is critical, which is why checking your work is an important step toward ensuring that your intended meaning is clear.

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