favorable

/ˈfeɪ.vɚ.əbl/

//ˈfeɪ.vɚ.əbl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“favorable” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,927. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,927
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - US standard spelling of favourable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-favorable · favorable · English

favorable · rank #8,927 · 14 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,927
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH farther

Nearest frequency peer: farther (-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 “favorable”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “favorable” 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).

favorable vs favorably
89% similar
favorable vs favourable
90% similar
favorable vs favourably
80% similar

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

Key facts for favorable
PropertyValue
Headwordfavorable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfeɪ.vɚ.əbl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#8,927
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “favorable”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).favorablelands 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 “farther” (#8,926), “feminism” (#8,928), “explorer” (#8,925). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “favorable” is #8,927. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around favorable (IPA /ˈfeɪ.vɚ.əbl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,927 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "US standard spelling of favourable.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for favorable, with forms such as "afvorable", "faovrable", and "favoarble". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "favorably", "favourable", "favourably", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English favourable, from Old French favorable, from Latin favōrābilis, from favor. By surface analysis, favor + -able. The correct English form is favorable, spelled F-A-V-O-R-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    US standard spelling of favourable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The conditions favorable to health and life of the indigines of the poles or the north temperate zones are destructive to the indigines of the tropical, and vice versa.

Etymology

From Middle English favourable, from Old French favorable, from Latin favōrābilis, from favor. By surface analysis, favor + -able.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afvorable
  • faovrable
  • favoarble
  • favorabble
  • favorabel
  • favorablle
  • favoralbe
  • favorbale
  • favorible
  • favorrable
  • favroable
  • favvorable
  • ffavorable
  • fvaorable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

afvorable2faovrable2favoarble2favorabble1favorabel2favorablle1favoralbe2favorbale2
Edit distance from "favorable"

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 "favorable"?
"favorable" is spelled F-A-V-O-R-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfeɪ.vɚ.əbl/.
What does "favorable" mean?
As an adjective, "favorable" means: US standard spelling of favourable.
What words are commonly confused with "favorable"?
"favorable" is commonly confused with "favorably", "favourable", "favourably". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "favorable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "favorable" is /ˈfeɪ.vɚ.əbl/. 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 "favorable"?
From Middle English favourable, from Old French favorable, from Latin favōrābilis, from favor. By surface analysis, favor + -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 "favorable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

desirable#8,919comprises#8,914merchants#8,957arbitrary#8,890

Similar misspelling depth

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

Princeton14 variantssubjected14 variantsVietnamese14 variantsquantities14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list