insufferable

/ɪnˈsʌfəɹəb(ə)l/

//ɪnˈsʌfəɹəb(ə)l// adj

"insufferable" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“insufferable” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,517. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,517
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not sufferable; very difficult or impossible to endure; intolerable, unbearable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-insufferable · insufferable · English

insufferable · rank #37,517 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,517
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH ingress

Nearest frequency peer: ingress (-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 “insufferable”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “insufferable” 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
Key facts for insufferable
PropertyValue
Headwordinsufferable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈsʌfəɹəb(ə)l/
Letters12
Frequency rank#37,517
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “insufferable”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).insufferablelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “ingress” (#37,516), “int'l” (#37,518), “interred” (#37,519). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “insufferable” is #37,517. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around insufferable (IPA /ɪnˈsʌfəɹəb(ə)l/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #37,517 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Not sufferable; very difficult or impossible to endure; intolerable, unbearable.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for insufferable, with forms such as "innsufferable", "insfuferable", and "inssufferable". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English insufferable (“unbearably painful, intolerable”), and then either: * from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + sufferable, souffrable (“bearable, endurable, tolerable; allowable, permissible; able to or willing to bear hardship; forbearing,… The correct English form is insufferable, spelled I-N-S-U-F-F-E-R-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not sufferable; very difficult or impossible to endure; intolerable, unbearable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. No, his good Meen, his Youth, and blooming Face / Tempt him to think, that vvith a better grace / Himſelf might ſit, and thou ſupply his place. / Behold there yet remains, vvhich muſt be born, / Proud Servants more inſufferable Scorn.
  2. She is sensible that a vain person is the most insufferable creature living in a well-bred assembly.

Etymology

From Late Middle English insufferable (“unbearably painful, intolerable”), and then either: * from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + sufferable, souffrable (“bearable, endurable, tolerable; allowable, permissible; able to or willing to bear hardship; forbearing, long-suffering; calm, self-restrained, slow to anger; capable of suffering”) (from Anglo-Norman sufferable, souffrable, and Old French souffrable, suffrable (“sufferable, tolerable”)); or * from Old French insouffrable (“which cannot be endured or suffered; something insufferable or unendurable”) (now dialectal), from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + souffrable, suffrable. From Old French souffrable, suffrable are derived from Medieval Latin sufferābilis, from Latin sufferre + -ābilis (suffix meaning ‘able or worthy to be’); while sufferre is the present active infinitive of sufferō, subferō (“to bear or carry under; to bear, endure, suffer, undergo”), from sub- (prefix meaning ‘below, under’) + ferō (“to bear, carry; to endure, suffer, tolerate”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”)). The English word is analysable as in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + sufferable.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • innsufferable
  • insfuferable
  • inssufferable
  • insufefrable
  • insuferable
  • insuffearble
  • insufferabble
  • insufferabel
  • insufferablle
  • insufferalbe
  • insufferbale
  • insufferible
  • insufferrable
  • insuffreable
  • inusfferable
  • isnufferable
  • nisufferable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of insufferable - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

innsufferable1insfuferable2inssufferable1insufefrable2insuferable1insuffearble2insufferabble1insufferabel2
Edit distance from "insufferable"

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 "insufferable"?
"insufferable" is spelled I-N-S-U-F-F-E-R-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈsʌfəɹəb(ə)l/.
What does "insufferable" mean?
As an adjective, "insufferable" means: Not sufferable; very difficult or impossible to endure; intolerable, unbearable.
What are common misspellings of "insufferable"?
Common misspellings include "innsufferable", "insfuferable", "inssufferable", "insufefrable", "insuferable". The correct spelling is "insufferable".
How do you pronounce "insufferable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "insufferable" is /ɪnˈsʌfəɹəb(ə)l/. 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 "insufferable"?
From Late Middle English insufferable (“unbearably painful, intolerable”), and then either: * from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + sufferable, souffrable (“bearable, endurable, tolerable; allowable, permissible; able to or willing to bear hardship; f... 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 "insufferable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list