Stable or stables?
stables is the plural of stable. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) stable is about 12 times as common as stables.
What is the difference between stable and stables?
| stable | stables | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb, adjective | noun |
| Meaning | A building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) ungulates, especially horses All the racehorses of a particular stable, i.e. belonging to a given owner To put or keep (an animal) in a stable To dwell in a stable | plural of stable UKAlternative form of stable |
| Example | There were stalls for fourteen horses in the squire's stables | none recorded |
| Forms | stables | none |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsteɪ.bəl/ [ˈsteɪ.bɫ̩] /ˈstæɪ.bəl/ | not recorded |
| In writing | 30 times per million words | 2.5 times per million words |
Sources: stable and stables in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of stable and stables
stable
- 1
A building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) ungulates, especially horses
There were stalls for fourteen horses in the squire's stables
- 2
To put or keep (an animal) in a stable
- 3
Relatively unchanging, steady, permanent; firmly fixed or established; consistent; not easily moved, altered, or destroyed
He was in a stable relationship
- 4
All the racehorses of a particular stable, i.e. belonging to a given owner
- 5
To dwell in a stable
- 6
Of software: established to be relatively free of bugs, as opposed to a beta version
You should download the 1.9 version of that video editing software: it is the latest stable version. The newer beta version has some bugs
- 7
ScotlandA set of advocates; a barristers' chambers
- 8
To park (a rail vehicle)
stables
- 1
UKAlternative form of stable
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, stable or stables?
stable appears 30 times per million words; stables 2.5 times per million words.
stable 30 times per million wordsstables 2.5 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).