amiable

/ˈeɪ.mi.ə.bəl/

//ˈeɪ.mi.ə.bəl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“amiable” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #35,181 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#35,181
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Friendly; kind; sweet; gracious

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

amiable vs arable
71% similar
amiable vs amicable
88% similar
amiable vs amicably
75% similar

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

Key facts for amiable
PropertyValue
Headwordamiable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈeɪ.mi.ə.bəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#35,181
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “amiable” 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). amiable lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for amiable is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈeɪ.mi.ə.bəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #35,181 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for amiable, with forms such as "aimable", "amaible", and "amiabble". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "arable", "amicable", "amicably", and more, 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 amyable, from Old French amiable, from Late Latin amīcābilis (“friendly”), from Latin amīcus (“friend”), from amō (“love”, verb). The meaning has been influenced by French amiable and Latin amābilis (“loveable”) (whence English aimable a… The correct English form is amiable, spelled A-M-I-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Friendly; kind; sweet; gracious
  2. 2
    Of a pleasant and likeable nature; kind-hearted; easy to like

Etymology

From Middle English amyable, from Old French amiable, from Late Latin amīcābilis (“friendly”), from Latin amīcus (“friend”), from amō (“love”, verb). The meaning has been influenced by French amiable and Latin amābilis (“loveable”) (whence English aimable and amable). Doublet of amicable. Compare with amorous, amability.

Synonyms

likable

This word in other languages

amable(Español)aimable(Français)liebenswürdig(Deutsch)amigável(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aimable,amaible,amiabble,amiabel,amiablle,amialbe,amibale,amiible,ammiable,maiable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aimable2amaible2amiabble1amiabel2amiablle1amialbe2amibale2amiible1
Edit distance from "amiable"

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 "amiable"?
"amiable" is spelled A-M-I-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈeɪ.mi.ə.bəl/.
What does "amiable" mean?
As an adjective, "amiable" means: Friendly; kind; sweet; gracious
What words are commonly confused with "amiable"?
"amiable" is commonly confused with "arable", "amicable", "amicably". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "amiable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "amiable" is /ˈeɪ.mi.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 "amiable"?
From Middle English amyable, from Old French amiable, from Late Latin amīcābilis (“friendly”), from Latin amīcus (“friend”), from amō (“love”, verb). The meaning has been influenced by French amiable and Latin amābilis (“loveable”) (whence English... 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 “amiable”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-M-I-A-B-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈeɪ.mi.ə.bəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “arable” - see the side-by-side comparison. amiable vs arable
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list