durable

/ˈdʊɹəbəl/

//ˈdʊɹəbəl// adj

"durable" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“durable” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,536 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#11,536
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Able to resist wear or decay; lasting; enduring.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

durable vs doable
71% similar
durable vs disable
71% similar

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

Key facts for durable
PropertyValue
Headworddurable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdʊɹəbəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#11,536
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “durable” 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). durable lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for durable is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdʊɹəbəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,536 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Able to resist wear or decay; lasting; enduring.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for durable, with forms such as "ddurable", "druable", and "duarble". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "doable", "disable", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English durable, from Old French durable, from Latin dūrābilis (“lasting, permanent”), from dūrō (“harden, make hard”). The correct English form is durable, spelled D-U-R-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Able to resist wear or decay; lasting; enduring.

Etymology

From Middle English durable, from Old French durable, from Latin dūrābilis (“lasting, permanent”), from dūrō (“harden, make hard”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddurable,druable,duarble,durabble,durabel,durablle,duralbe,durbale,durible,durrable,udrable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of durable - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddurable1druable2duarble2durabble1durabel2durablle1duralbe2durbale2
Edit distance from "durable"

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 "durable"?
"durable" is spelled D-U-R-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdʊɹəbəl/.
What does "durable" mean?
As an adjective, "durable" means: Able to resist wear or decay; lasting; enduring.
What words are commonly confused with "durable"?
"durable" is commonly confused with "doable", "disable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "durable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "durable" is /ˈdʊɹəbəl/. 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 "durable"?
From Middle English durable, from Old French durable, from Latin dūrābilis (“lasting, permanent”), from dūrō (“harden, make hard”). 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.

Using “durable”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-U-R-A-B-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdʊɹəbəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “doable” - see the side-by-side comparison. durable vs doable
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list