lamentable

/ləˈmɛn.tə.bəl/

//ləˈmɛn.tə.bəl// adj

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

"lamentable" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lamentable” is uncommon English (frequency #54,892 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,892
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Causing sorrow, distress or regret; deplorable, pitiful or distressing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lamentable · lamentable · English

lamentable · rank #54,892 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,892
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lascivious

Nearest frequency peer: lascivious (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “lamentable”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “lamentable” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for lamentable
PropertyValue
Headwordlamentable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ləˈmɛn.tə.bəl/
Letters10
Frequency rank#54,892
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lamentable” in English

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).lamentablefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “lascivious” (#54,893), “Lafferty” (#54,890), “LASIK” (#54,894). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lamentable” is #54,892. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lamentable is uncommon English at frequency #54,892 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ləˈmɛn.tə.bəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Causing sorrow, distress or regret; deplorable, pitiful or distressing.".

lamentable has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lamentable, from Middle French lamentable, from Latin lāmentābilis (“full of sorrow, mournful; deplorable”), from lāmentor (“lament”), from lāmenta (“wailing, weeping”). By surface analysis, lament + -able. The correct English form is lamentable, spelled L-A-M-E-N-T-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Causing sorrow, distress or regret; deplorable, pitiful or distressing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In what a lamentable caſe were I, If Nature had not giuen me wiſedomes lore?
  2. Moreover, in view of the lamentable present indecision of the Government in regard to electrification, the large-scale building of diesel power may prove to have been a farseeing move after all.

Etymology

From Middle English lamentable, from Middle French lamentable, from Latin lāmentābilis (“full of sorrow, mournful; deplorable”), from lāmentor (“lament”), from lāmenta (“wailing, weeping”). By surface analysis, lament + -able.

Synonyms

atrabiliaryatrabiliousdeplorabledepressingdistressinggrievousheartbreakingheartrendingmiserablelamentablelachrymablemournfulpatheticpathetisadpitiablepiteouspitifulpitisomeregrettableruefulsadsaddeningsorrowfultragicunhappyupsettingwoebegonewoeful

Antonyms

cheerful

This word in other languages

lamentable(Español)lamentable(Français)beklagenswert(Deutsch)lamentável(Português)

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 "lamentable"?
"lamentable" is spelled L-A-M-E-N-T-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ləˈmɛn.tə.bəl/.
What does "lamentable" mean?
As an adjective, "lamentable" means: Causing sorrow, distress or regret; deplorable, pitiful or distressing.
How do you pronounce "lamentable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lamentable" is /ləˈmɛn.tə.bəl/. 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 "lamentable"?
From Middle English lamentable, from Middle French lamentable, from Latin lāmentābilis (“full of sorrow, mournful; deplorable”), from lāmentor (“lament”), from lāmenta (“wailing, weeping”). By surface analysis, lament + -able. 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 "lamentable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lascivious#54,893kinematics#54,885ionosphere#54,860interurban#54,856

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list