liability

/laɪəˈbɪlɪti/

//laɪəˈbɪlɪti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“liability” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,516. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,516
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An obligation, debt or responsibility owed to someone.

Corpus desk

Index EN-liability · liability · English

liability · rank #5,516 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,516
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH legislature

Nearest frequency peer: legislature (-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 “liability”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “liability” 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 liability
PropertyValue
Headwordliability
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/laɪəˈbɪlɪti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#5,516
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “liability”

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).liabilitylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “legislature” (#5,515), “Maine” (#5,517), “laying” (#5,514). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “liability” is #5,516. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around liability (IPA /laɪəˈbɪlɪti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,516 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for liability, with forms such as "ilability", "laibility", and "liabbility". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From liable + -ity. The correct English form is liability, spelled L-I-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An obligation, debt or responsibility owed to someone.
  2. 2
    An obligation, debt or responsibility owed to someone.
  3. 3
    A handicap that holds something back, a drawback, someone or something that is a burden to whoever is required to take care of them; a person or action that exposes others to greater risk.
  4. 4
    A handicap that holds something back, a drawback, someone or something that is a burden to whoever is required to take care of them; a person or action that exposes others to greater risk.
  5. 5
    The likelihood of something happening.
  6. 6
    The condition of being susceptible to something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "I was to say that Maw and Meggins disclaim all responsibility," continued the other. "They admit no liability at all, but in consideration of your son's services they wish to present you with a certain sum as compensation."
  2. Those products – known as liability-driven investing, or LDIs – help offset liabilities and risks on pension funds’ books.

Etymology

From liable + -ity.

This word in other languages

responsabilidad(Español)responsabilité(Français)Schuld(Deutsch)responsabilidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilability
  • laibility
  • liabbility
  • liabiilty
  • liabilitty
  • liabilityy
  • liabiliyt
  • liabillity
  • liabiltiy
  • liabliity
  • liaiblity
  • libaility
  • lliability

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ilability2laibility2liabbility1liabiilty2liabilitty1liabilityy1liabiliyt2liabillity1
Edit distance from "liability"

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 "liability"?
"liability" is spelled L-I-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /laɪəˈbɪlɪti/.
What does "liability" mean?
As a noun, "liability" means: An obligation, debt or responsibility owed to someone.
What are common misspellings of "liability"?
Common misspellings include "ilability", "laibility", "liabbility", "liabiilty", "liabilitty". The correct spelling is "liability".
How do you pronounce "liability"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "liability" is /laɪəˈbɪlɪti/. 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 "liability"?
From liable + -ity. 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 "liability", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Manhattan#5,519perceived#5,530Halloween#5,500gentleman#5,498

Similar misspelling depth

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

realistic13 variantssporting13 variantsapproached13 variantstravelling13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list