habile

/ˈhæbəl/

//ˈhæbəl// adj

"habile" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“habile” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Generally able or adroit; handy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-habile · habile · English

habile · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for habile
PropertyValue
Headwordhabile
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhæbəl/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “habile” in English

habilesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

habile is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈhæbəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Generally able or adroit; handy.".

habile doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English habil, from Old French habile, from Latin habilis (“suitable; apt”), from habeō (“I handle”). Doublet of able. The correct English form is habile, spelled H-A-B-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Generally able or adroit; handy.

Etymology

From Middle English habil, from Old French habile, from Latin habilis (“suitable; apt”), from habeō (“I handle”). Doublet of able.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "habile"?
"habile" is spelled H-A-B-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhæbəl/.
What does "habile" mean?
As an adjective, "habile" means: Generally able or adroit; handy.
How do you pronounce "habile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "habile" is /ˈhæbəl/. 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 "habile"?
From Middle English habil, from Old French habile, from Latin habilis (“suitable; apt”), from habeō (“I handle”). Doublet of 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list