able
[ˈeɪbl]
The verdict
“able” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #38,552 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #38,552
- frequency rank, German
- 4
- letters
- 4
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - in der Lage sein; etwas tun können
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | able |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [ˈeɪbl] |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #38,552 |
| Misspellings tracked | 4 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “able” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for able is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈeɪbl]. Corpus data places it at rank #38,552 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for able, with forms such as "abble", "ablle", and "albe". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ae", "als", "alt", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is able, spelled A-B-L-E.
Definition
- 1in der Lage sein; etwas tun können
- 2talentiert
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: abble,ablle,albe,bale
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of able - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “able”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is A-B-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈeɪbl] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “ae” - see the side-by-side comparison. able vs ae
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.