applicable
ap·plic·a·ble/əˈplɪk.ə.bəl/adjective
applicable is spelled A-P-P-L-I-C-A-B-L-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables (ap·plic·a·ble). It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, applicable means “Suitable for application; relevant” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in applicable?
| Letters | 10: A-P-P-L-I-C-A-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: ap·plic·a·ble |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,778th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is applicable?
Applicable appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce applicable?
- US /əˈplɪk.ə.bəl/
- US [əˈplɪk.ə.bɫ̩]
- US /ˈæp.lɪ kə.bəl/
Applicable has 4 syllables, split ap·plic·a·ble in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-applicable.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of applicable
- more applicable comparative
- most applicable superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does applicable mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Suitable for application; relevant.
This rule is not applicable to the longer-standing members of the club.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Applicable in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense suitable for application; relevant:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | applicable |
| German | anwendbar, relevant |
| Portuguese | aplicável |
| Spanish | aplicable, aplicadero |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does applicable come from?
From Old French applicable, from Medieval Latin applicabilis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).