improbable
im·prob·a·ble/ɪmˈpɹɑbəbl̩/adjective
improbable is spelled I-M-P-R-O-B-A-B-L-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables (im·prob·a·ble). It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, improbable means “Not likely to be true” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in improbable?
| Letters | 10: I-M-P-R-O-B-A-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: im·prob·a·ble |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 19,825th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is improbable?
Improbable appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th 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 improbable?
- US /ɪmˈpɹɑbəbl̩/
- UK /ɪmˈpɹɒbəbl̩/
Improbable has 4 syllables, split im·prob·a·ble in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-GB-improbable.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-improbable.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with improbable?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as improbable from its last stressed vowel (/ɑbəbl/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of improbable
- more improbable comparative
- most improbable superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does improbable mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not likely to be true.
It's highly improbable that aliens abducted you.
- 2
Not likely to happen.
Due to the loss of power, it is improbable that we will begin on time.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Improbable in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | invraisemblable , improbable |
| German | unwahrscheinlich |
| Portuguese | improvável |
| Spanish | improbable, inverosímil |
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 improbable come from?
Borrowed from Latin improbābilis. By surface analysis, im- + probable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).