# unable vs unstable

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### unable
*adjective · IPA /ʌnˈeɪbl̩/ · frequency rank #2,469*
Not able; lacking a certain ability.

### unstable
*adjective · IPA /ʌnˈsteɪ.bəl/ · frequency rank #8,741*
Not stable.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/unable-vs-unstable