ability

/əˈbɪl.ə.ti/

//əˈbɪl.ə.ti// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"ability" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ability” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,156 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,156
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Suitableness.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ability vs agility
86% similar
ability vs acidity
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ability
PropertyValue
Headwordability
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈbɪl.ə.ti/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,156
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ability” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). ability lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for ability is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈbɪl.ə.ti/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,156 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for ability, with forms such as "abbility", "abiilty", and "abilitty". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "agility", "acidity", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in the 1300s. From Middle English abilite (“suitability, aptitude, ability”), from Old French ableté, from Latin habilitās (“aptness, ability”), from habilis (“apt, fit, skillful, able”); equivalent to able + -ity. The correct English form is ability, spelled A-B-I-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Suitableness.
  2. 2
    The quality or state of being able; capacity to do or of doing something; having the necessary power.
  3. 3
    The legal wherewithal to act.
  4. 4
    Physical power.
  5. 5
    Financial ability.
  6. 6
    A unique power of the mind; a faculty.
  7. 7
    A skill or competence in doing; mental power; talent; aptitude.

Etymology

First attested in the 1300s. From Middle English abilite (“suitability, aptitude, ability”), from Old French ableté, from Latin habilitās (“aptness, ability”), from habilis (“apt, fit, skillful, able”); equivalent to able + -ity.

Synonyms

capacityfacultycapabilityskilltalentclevernessdexterityaptitudecapabilityfacultycapacityaptnessaptitude

Antonyms

inabilityunabilitydisability

This word in other languages

habilidad(Español)capacité(Français)Fähigkeit(Deutsch)habilidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abbility,abiilty,abilitty,abilityy,abiliyt,abillity,abiltiy,abliity,aiblity,baility

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ability - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

abbility1abiilty2abilitty1abilityy1abiliyt2abillity1abiltiy2abliity2
Edit distance from "ability"

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ability"?
"ability" is spelled A-B-I-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbɪl.ə.ti/.
What does "ability" mean?
As a noun, "ability" means: Suitableness.
What words are commonly confused with "ability"?
"ability" is commonly confused with "agility", "acidity". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ability"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ability" is /əˈbɪl.ə.ti/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "ability"?
First attested in the 1300s. From Middle English abilite (“suitability, aptitude, ability”), from Old French ableté, from Latin habilitās (“aptness, ability”), from habilis (“apt, fit, skillful, able”); equivalent to able + -ity. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “ability”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-B-I-L-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈbɪl.ə.ti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “agility” - see the side-by-side comparison. ability vs agility
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list