inability
/ˌɪnəˈbɪlɪti/
"inability" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“inability” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,931 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #7,931
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lack of the ability to do something; incapability.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | inability |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌɪnəˈbɪlɪti/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #7,931 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “inability” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for inability is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɪnəˈbɪlɪti/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,931 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for inability, with forms such as "ianbility", "inabbility", and "inabiilty". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "instability", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier inhability (“disqualification for office”), equivalent to in- + ability. Compare Middle French inhabilité, Medieval Latin inhabilitās. The correct English form is inability, spelled I-N-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y.
Definition
- 1Lack of the ability to do something; incapability.
- 2Lack of the option to do something; powerlessness.
Etymology
From earlier inhability (“disqualification for office”), equivalent to in- + ability. Compare Middle French inhabilité, Medieval Latin inhabilitās.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ianbility,inabbility,inabiilty,inabilitty,inabilityy,inabiliyt,inabillity,inabiltiy,inabliity,inaiblity,inbaility,innability,niability
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of inability - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "inability"?
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Using “inability”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌɪnəˈbɪlɪti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “instability” - see the side-by-side comparison. inability vs instability
- 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.