cable
/ˈkeɪ.bəl/noun, verb
cable is spelled C-A-B-L-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,785th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cable means “A strong, large-diameter wire or rope, or something resembling such a rope” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cable is cables.
How many letters and syllables are in cable?
| Letters | 5: C-A-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 35 times per million words; the 2,785th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is cable?
Cable appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,785th 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 cable?
- /ˈkeɪ.bəl/
Cable has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-cable.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cable
- cables plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cabling participle, present
- cabled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cable mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A strong, large-diameter wire or rope, or something resembling such a rope.
- 2
An assembly of two or more cable-laid ropes.
- 3
An assembly of two or more wires, used for electrical power or data circuits; one or more and/or the whole may be insulated.
- 4
A strong rope or chain used to moor or anchor a ship.
- 5
A system for transmitting television or Internet services over a network of coaxial or fibreoptic cables.
I tried to watch the movie last night but my cable was out.
- 6
Ellipsis of cable television, broadcast over the above network, not by antenna.
- 7
A telegram, notably when sent by (submarine) telegraph cable.
- 8
A unit of length equal to one tenth of a nautical mile.
verb
- 1
To provide (something) with cable(s).
- 2
To fasten (something) (as if) with cable(s).
- 3
To wrap (wires) to form a cable.
- 4
To send (a telegram, news, etc.) by cable.
- 5
To communicate by cable.
- 6
To ornament (something) with cabling.
- 7
To create cable stitches.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cable in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | câble , fil électrique , torsade |
| German | Seil, Tau , Kabel, Leitung , Kette , kabeln |
| Portuguese | cabo , fio , boça , linha |
| Spanish | cable , cuerda , televisión por cable , cablegrama |
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 cable come from?
Recorded since c.1205 as Middle English cable, from Old Northern French cable, from Late Latin capulum (“lasso, rope, halter”), from Latin capiō (“to take, seize”). Use of the term "cable" to refer to the USD/GBP exchange rate originated in the mid-19th century, when the exchange rate began to be transmitted across the Atlantic by a submarine communications cable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).