# instability

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #11,051

## Definitions
1. The quality of being unstable.
2. A state that is not in equilibrium, or in which a small change has a large irreversible effect.

## Etymology
From Middle French instabilité, from Latin instabilitas.
Morphologically in- + stability.

## Easily confused with
- **inability** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/inability-vs-instability)

## Common misspellings (17)
`innstability`, `insatbility`, `insstability`, `instabbility`, `instabiilty`, `instabilitty`, `instabilityy`, `instabiliyt`, `instabillity`, `instabiltiy`, `instabliity`, `instaiblity`, `instbaility`, `insttability`, `intsability`, `isntability`, `nistability`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/instability