inability

/ˌɪnəˈbɪlɪti/

//ˌɪnəˈbɪlɪti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“inability” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,931. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,931
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lack of the ability to do something; incapability.

Corpus desk

Index EN-inability · inability · English

inability · rank #7,931 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,931
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH impress

Nearest frequency peer: impress (-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 “inability”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “inability” 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).

inability vs instability
82% similar

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

Key facts for inability
PropertyValue
Headwordinability
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪnəˈbɪlɪti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,931
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “inability”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).inabilitylands 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 “impress” (#7,930), “incoming” (#7,932), “implied” (#7,929). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “inability” is #7,931. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around inability (IPA /ˌɪnəˈbɪlɪti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,931 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    Lack of the ability to do something; incapability.
  2. 2
    Lack of the option to do something; powerlessness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] tho' theſe ſeem'd to be very unfit Inſtruments for compaſſing of that great Deſign for which they were then employ'd, becauſe of their Inability and Uncapacity in performing the Work ſo very great and important; […]
  2. The Premier League leaders did what many people thought was beyond them in their last European excursion, at the home of Borussia Dortmund, and they made light work of overcoming Marseille on a night when the one-sidedness was not reflected by their inability to add to Jack Wilshere's two goals.

Etymology

From earlier inhability (“disqualification for office”), equivalent to in- + ability. Compare Middle French inhabilité, Medieval Latin inhabilitās.

Synonyms

unability

This word in other languages

incapacidad(Español)incapacité(Français)Unfähigkeit(Deutsch)incapacidade(Português)

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.

ianbility2inabbility1inabiilty2inabilitty1inabilityy1inabiliyt2inabillity1inabiltiy2
Edit distance from "inability"

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"?
"inability" is spelled I-N-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪnəˈbɪlɪti/.
What does "inability" mean?
As a noun, "inability" means: Lack of the ability to do something; incapability.
What words are commonly confused with "inability"?
"inability" is commonly confused with "instability". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inability"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inability" is /ˌɪnəˈbɪlɪti/. 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 "inability"?
From earlier inhability (“disqualification for office”), equivalent to in- + ability. Compare Middle French inhabilité, Medieval Latin inhabilitās. 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 "inability", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Henderson#7,926Leicester#7,937obtaining#7,949discharge#7,911

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

butterfly13 variantsautomotive13 variantsthankful13 variantscracking13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list