capability

/ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/

//ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti// noun

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

"capability" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“capability” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,340. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,340
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The power or ability to generate an outcome.

Corpus desk

Index EN-capability · capability · English

capability · rank #6,340 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,340
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH burger

Nearest frequency peer: burger (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “capability”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “capability” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

capability vs culpability
82% similar

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

Key facts for capability
PropertyValue
Headwordcapability
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/
Letters10
Frequency rank#6,340
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “capability” 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).capability lands 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. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around capability (IPA /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,340 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for capability, with forms such as "acpability", "caapbility", and "capabbility". 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, "culpability", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Formed in Modern English as capable + -ity. The correct English form is capability, spelled C-A-P-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The power or ability to generate an outcome.
  2. 2
    A digital token allowing a user or process to interact in a specified way with an object that is subject to access control.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And that sight will become more common in the coming years, as the city’s police pursue an ambitious campaign to install thousands of cameras to elevate their surveillance capabilities.
  2. A file descriptor can be considered a capability that can only be leveraged using the appropriate system calls, passing it as an argument.

Etymology

Formed in Modern English as capable + -ity.

This word in other languages

capacidad(Español)capacité(Français)Fähigkeit(Deutsch)capacidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acpability
  • caapbility
  • capabbility
  • capabiilty
  • capabilitty
  • capabilityy
  • capabiliyt
  • capabillity
  • capabiltiy
  • capabliity
  • capaiblity
  • capbaility
  • cappability
  • ccapability
  • cpaability

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acpability2caapbility2capabbility1capabiilty2capabilitty1capabilityy1capabiliyt2capabillity1
Edit distance from "capability"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "capability"?
"capability" is spelled C-A-P-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/.
What does "capability" mean?
As a noun, "capability" means: The power or ability to generate an outcome.
What words are commonly confused with "capability"?
"capability" is commonly confused with "culpability". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "capability"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "capability" is /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/. 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 "capability"?
Formed in Modern English as capable + -ity. 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 "capability", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

conducting#6,346assumption#6,328altogether#6,324excellence#6,356

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

graduation15 variantsunderneath15 variantsseparately15 variantsnomination15 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "capability". Here's where to go from here.

  • This headword has one recorded confusable pair with "culpability". View pair
  • 15 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #6,340 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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