able-bodied
/ˈeɪ.bl̩ˌbɑ.did/
"able-bodied" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“able-bodied” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having a sound, strong body; physically competent; robust; fit for service.
Corpus desk
Index EN-able-bodied · able-bodied · English
able-bodied · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "A" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | able-bodied |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈeɪ.bl̩ˌbɑ.did/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “able-bodied” in English
Rare enough to double-check
able-bodied is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈeɪ.bl̩ˌbɑ.did/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for able-bodied in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From able body + -ed. The correct English form is able-bodied, spelled A-B-L-E---B-O-D-I-E-D.
Definition
- 1Having a sound, strong body; physically competent; robust; fit for service.
- 2Not disabled; having no physical disability.
- 3Capable of performing all requisite duties as a seaman, specifically in the Royal Navy, a rating between leading and ordinary.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how able-bodied appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
A servant determinately idle, leaving his work, or an able-bodied vagrant, roaming the country without means of honest self-support and without seeking employment, was to be brought before the two nearest magistrates.
Unfair discrimination between the able-bodied and the disabled is illegal in many places.
Etymology
From able body + -ed.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.