{"id":6613,"date":"2023-07-10T06:00:53","date_gmt":"2023-07-10T11:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/?p=6613"},"modified":"2023-07-06T09:02:29","modified_gmt":"2023-07-06T14:02:29","slug":"inpatient-or-impatient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/spelling\/inpatient-or-impatient\/","title":{"rendered":"Inpatient<\/em> or Impatient<\/em>: Which Word Is the Right One?"},"content":{"rendered":"

English includes many words with sounds and spellings so similar they become easy to confuse. Impatient<\/em> and inpatient<\/em> are one such pair.<\/p>\n

If you’ve ever found yourself tripping between impatient<\/em> and inpatient<\/em>, you’re in the right place. We’ll explain what each word means and help ensure you can distinguish the two from now on.<\/p>\n

The Difference Between Impatient<\/em> and Inpatient<\/em><\/h2>\n

It’s always good to start with a couple of quick definitions. Both inpatient<\/em> and inpatient<\/em> are valid English words. They mean different things, but neither is automatically wrong.<\/p>\n

Impatient<\/em> (with an “m”) is an adjective that describes someone who lacks patience (i.e., has trouble waiting for things). Here it is being used correctly in a couple of sentences:<\/p>\n

I tend to get impatient<\/u> when I’m waiting for my food to be served at a restaurant.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sara isn’t usually impatient<\/u>, but two hours in line at the DMV began to break her mold.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Inpatient<\/em> (with an “n”) is a separate word that refers to someone who is staying inside a hospital, often overnight. It can function as a noun or an adjective. Here it is being used correctly in a pair of sentences:<\/p>\n

Tom was admitted as an inpatient<\/u> because the doctor wanted to order some tests. <\/em>(noun)<\/p>\n

This hospital has one of the mostly highly rated inpatient<\/u> units in the country. <\/em>(adjective)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

An Easy Way to Differentiate Impatient<\/em> and Inpatient<\/em><\/h2>\n

Because these words are so easy to confuse, here are a couple of devices to help you easily remember the difference:<\/p>\n

The “in” in inpatient<\/em> means the person is going into<\/em> the hospital.<\/p>\n

The “im” in impatient<\/em> means the person is saying “I’m<\/u> ready to get out of<\/em> the hospital.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pop Quiz<\/h2>\n

Complete the sentences below with the proper use of impatient<\/em> or inpatient<\/em>:<\/p>\n

1. Don’t be so [impatient \/ inpatient]; the show will begin shortly.<\/p>\n

2. The hospital’s [impatient \/ inpatient] wing included many nurses.<\/p>\n

3. Sally was so [impatient \/ inpatient] when she was younger, but she’s calmed a lot since then.<\/p>\n

4. [Impatient \/ Inpatient] people can sometimes have difficulty making and following long-term plans.<\/p>\n

5. The procedure isn’t dangerous, but you have to be admitted to the hospital as an [impatient \/ inpatient].<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pop Quiz Answers<\/h3>\n

1. Don’t be so impatient<\/strong>; the show will begin shortly.<\/p>\n

2. The hospital’s inpatient<\/strong> wing included many nurses.<\/p>\n

3. Sally was so impatient<\/strong> when she was younger, but she’s calmed a lot since then.<\/p>\n

4. Impatient<\/strong> people can sometimes have difficulty making and following long-term plans.<\/p>\n

5. The procedure isn’t dangerous, but you have to be admitted to the hospital as an inpatient<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Continue Your Grammar Journey With Us<\/h2>\n

Good writers understand and apply good grammar. We’re here to help you sharpen your knowledge and skills in precise and eloquent communication. Browse our archive for topics of interest, and be sure to visit us again soon. We’re always adding new content!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

English includes many words with sounds and spellings so similar they become easy to confuse. Impatient and inpatient are one such pair. If you’ve ever found yourself tripping between impatient and inpatient, you’re in the right place. We’ll explain what each word means and help ensure you can distinguish the two from now on. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spelling"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6613"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6613"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6618,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6613\/revisions\/6618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}