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disabled

UK [dɪsˈɛɪ̯bəɫd]adjective, noun, verb

disabled is spelled D-I-S-A-B-L-E-D: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,365th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, disabled means “Made incapable of use or action” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in disabled?

Letters8: D-I-S-A-B-L-E-D
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing19 times per million words; the 4,365th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 disabled?

Disabled appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,365th 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 disabled?

  • UK [dɪsˈɛɪ̯bəɫd]

Disabled has 3 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-disabled.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of disabled

  • more disabled comparative
  • most disabled superlative
  • disableds plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does disabled mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Made incapable of use or action.

  2. 2

    Having a disability.

  3. 3

    Legally disqualified.

noun

  1. 1

    nonstandardOne who is disabled. (often used collectively as the disabled, but sometimes also singular)

verb

  1. 1

    simple past and past participle of disable (a form of disable)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Disabled in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Germangesperrt, deaktiviert (made incapable of use or action), behindert (having a disability), behinderten- (for the use of people with physical disabilities), Mensch mit Behinderung, der/die Behinderte (disabled one)
Portuguesedesativado, desabilitado (made incapable of use or action), deficiente, inválido (having a disability)
Frenchhandicapé, handicapée, infirme, invalide (having a disability)
Spanishdiscapacitado, minusválido (having a disability), para discapacitados (for the use of people with physical disabilities)

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 disabled come from?

From disable + -ed.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after disabled