affable

/ˈæf.ə.bəl/

//ˈæf.ə.bəl// adj

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

The verdict

“affable” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,495. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,495
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Receiving others kindly and conversing with them in a free and friendly manner; friendly, courteous, sociable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-affable · affable · English

affable · rank #43,495 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,495
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH adjournment

Nearest frequency peer: adjournment (-2 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “affable”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “affable” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

affable vs arable
71% similar
affable vs amiable
71% similar

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

Key facts for affable
PropertyValue
Headwordaffable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈæf.ə.bəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#43,495
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “affable”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “adjournment” (#43,493), “accosted” (#43,492), “airbrush” (#43,498). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “affable” is #43,495. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around affable (IPA /ˈæf.ə.bəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #43,495 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for affable, with forms such as "afable", "afafble", and "affabble". 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, "arable", "amiable", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French affable, from Latin affābilis, from affor (“to address”), from ad + for (“to speak, to talk”). See fable. The correct English form is affable, spelled A-F-F-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Receiving others kindly and conversing with them in a free and friendly manner; friendly, courteous, sociable.
  2. 2
    Mild; benign.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Furthermore, I may say, that the Sultan was always most affable to me in my interviews with him, even when I had to discuss some missionary questions. In fact, I never saw any traces of the difficulties which Mr. Terrell reported.
  2. […] He stood bolt upright instead with his stumpy arms resting comfortably on the backsof the pilot's and co-pilot's seats, pipe in hand, making affable small talk to McWatt and whoever happened to be co-pilot and pointing out amusing trivia in the sky to the two men, who were too busy to be interested.

Etymology

Borrowed from French affable, from Latin affābilis, from affor (“to address”), from ad + for (“to speak, to talk”). See fable.

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afable
  • afafble
  • affabble
  • affabel
  • affablle
  • affalbe
  • affbale
  • affible
  • fafable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of affable - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

afable1afafble2affabble1affabel2affablle1affalbe2affbale2affible1
Edit distance from "affable"

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 "affable"?
"affable" is spelled A-F-F-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæf.ə.bəl/.
What does "affable" mean?
As an adjective, "affable" means: Receiving others kindly and conversing with them in a free and friendly manner; friendly, courteous, sociable.
What words are commonly confused with "affable"?
"affable" is commonly confused with "arable", "amiable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "affable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "affable" is /ˈæf.ə.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 "affable"?
Borrowed from French affable, from Latin affābilis, from affor (“to address”), from ad + for (“to speak, to talk”). See fable. 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 "affable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list