fable
fa·ble/ˈfeɪbəl/noun
fable is spelled F-A-B-L-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables (fa·ble). It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,536th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fable means “A fictitious narrative intended to enforce some useful truth or precept, usually with animals, etc. as characters; an apologue. Prototypically…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fable is fables.
How many letters and syllables are in fable?
| Letters | 5: F-A-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: fa·ble |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 23,536th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is fable?
Fable appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,536th 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 fable?
- /ˈfeɪbəl/
Fable has 2 syllables, split fa·ble in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-fable.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fable
- fables plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- fabling participle, present
- fabled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fable mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A fictitious narrative intended to enforce some useful truth or precept, usually with animals, etc. as characters; an apologue. Prototypically, Aesop's Fables.
- 2
Any story told to excite wonder; common talk; the theme of talk.
- 3
Fiction; untruth; falsehood.
- 4
The plot, story, or connected series of events forming the subject of an epic or dramatic poem.
verb
- 1
archaicTo compose fables; hence, to write or speak fiction; to write or utter what is not true.
- 2
archaicTo make up; to devise, and speak of, as true or real; to tell of falsely; to recount in the form of a fable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fable in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 fable come from?
From Middle English, borrowed from Old French fable, from Latin fābula, from fārī (“to speak, say”) + -bula (“instrumental suffix”). See ban, and compare fabulous, fame. Doublet of fabula.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).