allowable

/əˈlaʊ.əbəl/

//əˈlaʊ.əbəl// adj

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

"allowable" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“allowable” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,903. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,903
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Appropriate; acceptable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-allowable · allowable · English

allowable · rank #29,903 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #29,903
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH alder

Nearest frequency peer: alder (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “allowable”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “allowable” 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).

allowable vs allowance
78% similar

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

Key facts for allowable
PropertyValue
Headwordallowable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈlaʊ.əbəl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#29,903
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “allowable”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).allowablelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “alder” (#29,902), “AmE” (#29,904), “AmEx” (#29,905). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “allowable” is #29,903. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around allowable (IPA /əˈlaʊ.əbəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #29,903 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for allowable, with forms such as "alloawble", "allowabble", and "allowabel". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "allowance", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English allowable, alowable, a borrowing from Old French alouable (Modern French allouable), from allouer, equivalent to allow + -able. The correct English form is allowable, spelled A-L-L-O-W-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Appropriate; acceptable.
  2. 2
    Intellectually admissible; valid; probable.
  3. 3
    Able to be added or deducted in consideration of something.
  4. 4
    Permissible; tolerable; legitimate.
  5. 5
    Praiseworthy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And first, although there were more things in nature then words which did expresse them, yet even in these mute and silent discourses, to expresse complexed significations, they took a liberty to compound and piece together creatures of allowable formes unto mixtures inexistent […]
  2. New HISA regulations, implemented last month, include strict rules about withdrawal times and allowable medication levels on race day.

Etymology

From Middle English allowable, alowable, a borrowing from Old French alouable (Modern French allouable), from allouer, equivalent to allow + -able.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alloawble
  • allowabble
  • allowabel
  • allowablle
  • allowalbe
  • allowbale
  • allowible
  • allowwable
  • allwoable
  • alolwable
  • alowable
  • lalowable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

alloawble2allowabble1allowabel2allowablle1allowalbe2allowbale2allowible1allowwable1
Edit distance from "allowable"

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 "allowable"?
"allowable" is spelled A-L-L-O-W-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈlaʊ.əbəl/.
What does "allowable" mean?
As an adjective, "allowable" means: Appropriate; acceptable.
What words are commonly confused with "allowable"?
"allowable" is commonly confused with "allowance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "allowable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "allowable" is /əˈlaʊ.əbəl/. 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 "allowable"?
From Middle English allowable, alowable, a borrowing from Old French alouable (Modern French allouable), from allouer, equivalent to allow + -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 "allowable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

abhorrent#29,898anaerobic#29,909anchoring#29,910weighting#29,889

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

amicable12 variantsbehemoth12 variantstotality12 variantsbroadest12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list