ableism

Name: ableism, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈeɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm/

//ˈeɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“ableism” is uncommon English (frequency #75,591 among 35,202 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,591
frequency rank, English: 35,202
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Discrimination or prejudice against individuals with physical, intellectual, psychiatric, or other disabilities.

Key facts for ableism
Property	Value
Headword	ableism
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈeɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#75,591
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ableism” 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). ableism lands here:

#75,591

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Rare enough to double-check

ableism is uncommon English at frequency #75,591 among 35,202 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈeɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

ableism has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From able + -ism, modelled on racism, sexism, etc. The correct English form is ableism, spelled A-B-L-E-I-S-M.

Definition

1
Discrimination or prejudice against individuals with physical, intellectual, psychiatric, or other disabilities.
2
An instance of ableism.

Etymology

From able + -ism, modelled on racism, sexism, etc.

Synonyms

able-bodyism able-bodiedism ableismanapirismanapirophobiadisablism handicapism

This word in other languages

capacitismo(Español)validisme(Français)Ableismus(Deutsch)

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 "ableism"?

"ableism" is spelled A-B-L-E-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈeɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm/.

What does "ableism" mean?

As a noun, "ableism" means: Discrimination or prejudice against individuals with physical, intellectual, psychiatric, or other disabilities.

How do you pronounce "ableism"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ableism" is /ˈeɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm/. 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 "ableism"?

From able + -ism, modelled on racism, sexism, etc. 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 “ableism”

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

The one correct English spelling is A-B-L-E-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈeɪ.bə.lɪ.zəm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.