desirable

/dɪˈzaɪəɹəbəl/

//dɪˈzaɪəɹəbəl// adj

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

The verdict

“desirable” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,919. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,919
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Worthy to be desired; pleasing; agreeable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-desirable · desirable · English

desirable · rank #8,919 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,919
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH defendants

Nearest frequency peer: defendants (-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 “desirable”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “desirable” 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).

desirable vs despicable
80% similar

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

Key facts for desirable
PropertyValue
Headworddesirable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪˈzaɪəɹəbəl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#8,919
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “desirable”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).desirablelands 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 “defendants” (#8,918), “devastating” (#8,920), “cowboy” (#8,917). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “desirable” is #8,919. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around desirable (IPA /dɪˈzaɪəɹəbəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,919 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Worthy to be desired; pleasing; agreeable.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for desirable, with forms such as "ddesirable", "deisrable", and "desiarble". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "despicable", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French desirable. Morphologically desire + -able. The correct English form is desirable, spelled D-E-S-I-R-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Worthy to be desired; pleasing; agreeable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This applicant has almost all desirable properties.
  2. It has long been recognised that complete segregation of control of the respective services provided by the two undertakings, and of the power supply, signalling, and tracks relating to each was desirable.

Etymology

From Old French desirable. Morphologically desire + -able.

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddesirable
  • deisrable
  • desiarble
  • desirabble
  • desirabel
  • desirablle
  • desiralbe
  • desirbale
  • desirible
  • desirrable
  • desriable
  • dessirable
  • dseirable
  • edsirable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddesirable1deisrable2desiarble2desirabble1desirabel2desirablle1desiralbe2desirbale2
Edit distance from "desirable"

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 "desirable"?
"desirable" is spelled D-E-S-I-R-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈzaɪəɹəbəl/.
What does "desirable" mean?
As an adjective, "desirable" means: Worthy to be desired; pleasing; agreeable.
What words are commonly confused with "desirable"?
"desirable" is commonly confused with "despicable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "desirable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "desirable" is /dɪˈzaɪəɹəbəl/. 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 "desirable"?
From Old French desirable. Morphologically desire + -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 "desirable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list