labile
la·bile/ˈleɪ.baɪl/adjective
labile is spelled L-A-B-I-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (la·bile). It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, labile means “Liable to slip, err, fall, or apostatize” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in labile?
| Letters | 6: L-A-B-I-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: la·bile |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 88,353rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 labile?
Labile appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd 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 labile?
- US /ˈleɪ.baɪl/
Labile has 2 syllables, split la·bile in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-labile.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with labile?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as labile (/eɪbaɪl/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: liable.
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 labile
- more labile comparative
- most labile superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does labile mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Liable to slip, err, fall, or apostatize.
- 2
Apt or likely to change.
- 3
Of a compound or bond, kinetically unstable; rapidly cleaved (and possibly reformed).
Certain drugs can be conjugated to polymer molecules with a linkage that is labile at low pH to effect controlled release in a cellular endosome.
- 4
Of a verb, able to change valency without changing its form; especially, able to be used both transitively and intransitively without changing its form.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Labile in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 labile come from?
Borrowed from Middle French labile, borrowed from Latin lābilis (“slipping, transitent”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).