acceptable

/əkˈsɛp.tə.bəl/

//əkˈsɛp.tə.bəl// adj

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

"acceptable" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“acceptable” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,503. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,503
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Worthy, decent, sure of being accepted or received with at least moderate pleasure.

Corpus desk

Index EN-acceptable · acceptable · English

acceptable · rank #4,503 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,503
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH 7th

Nearest frequency peer: 7th (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “acceptable”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “acceptable” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

acceptable vs acceptance
80% similar

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

Key facts for acceptable
PropertyValue
Headwordacceptable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əkˈsɛp.tə.bəl/
Letters10
Frequency rank#4,503
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “acceptable” 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). acceptable lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around acceptable (IPA /əkˈsɛp.tə.bəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #4,503 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for acceptable, with forms such as "accepatble", "accepptable", and "acceptabble". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "acceptance", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English acceptable, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French acceptable, from Late Latin acceptābilis (“worthy of acceptance”). Morphologically accept + -able. The correct English form is acceptable, spelled A-C-C-E-P-T-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Worthy, decent, sure of being accepted or received with at least moderate pleasure.
  2. 2
    Barely worthy, less than excellent; passable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how acceptable appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. We need to find an acceptable present for Jeff.
  2. I think if post commanders of the unchaplained posts could employ acceptable clergymen […] then the needs might be met.

Etymology

From Middle English acceptable, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French acceptable, from Late Latin acceptābilis (“worthy of acceptance”). Morphologically accept + -able.

This word in other languages

aceptable(Español)acceptable(Français)annehmbar(Deutsch)aceitável(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • accepatble
  • accepptable
  • acceptabble
  • acceptabel
  • acceptablle
  • acceptalbe
  • acceptbale
  • acceptible
  • accepttable
  • accetpable
  • accpetable
  • acecptable
  • aceptable
  • caceptable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of acceptable - 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.

accepatble2accepptable1acceptabble1acceptabel2acceptablle1acceptalbe2acceptbale2acceptible1
Edit distance from "acceptable"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "acceptable"?
"acceptable" is spelled A-C-C-E-P-T-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əkˈsɛp.tə.bəl/.
What does "acceptable" mean?
As an adjective, "acceptable" means: Worthy, decent, sure of being accepted or received with at least moderate pleasure.
What words are commonly confused with "acceptable"?
"acceptable" is commonly confused with "acceptance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "acceptable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "acceptable" is /əkˈsɛp.tə.bəl/. 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 "acceptable"?
From Middle English acceptable, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French acceptable, from Late Latin acceptābilis (“worthy of acceptance”). Morphologically accept + -able. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "acceptable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

attempting#4,505surprising#4,495specialist#4,491prevention#4,476

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Cleveland14 variantspromoting14 variantsmechanism14 variantsEdinburgh14 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "acceptable". Here's where to go from here.

  • This headword has one recorded confusable pair with "acceptance". View pair
  • 14 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #4,503 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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