liable

/ˈlaɪ̯əbəl/

//ˈlaɪ̯əbəl// adj

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

"liable" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“liable” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,450. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,450
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-liable · liable · English

liable · rank #8,450 · 9 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,450
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH leaning

Nearest frequency peer: leaning (-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 “liable”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “liable” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

liable vs Lille
50% similar
liable vs libre
67% similar
liable vs lisle
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for liable
PropertyValue
Headwordliable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈlaɪ̯əbəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#8,450
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “liable”

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).liablelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “leaning” (#8,449), “Memphis” (#8,452), “Lanka” (#8,447). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “liable” is #8,450. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around liable (IPA /ˈlaɪ̯əbəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,450 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for liable, with forms such as "ilable", "laible", and "liabble". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "Lille", "libre", "lisle", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French lier (“to bind”), from Latin ligare (“to bind, to tie”). The correct English form is liable, spelled L-I-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable.
  2. 2
    Subject; susceptible; prone.
  3. 3
    Exposed to a certain contingency or causality, more or less probable.
  4. 4
    Likely.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The surety is liable for the debt of his principal.
  2. He inveighed against the folly of making oneself liable for the debts of others; vented many bitter execrations against the brother; and concluded with wishing something could be done for the unfortunate family. The passion for philosophy, like that for religion, seems liable to this inconvenience

Etymology

From Old French lier (“to bind”), from Latin ligare (“to bind, to tie”).

This word in other languages

responsabilizado(Español)responsable(Français)fehlbar(Deutsch)responsável(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilable
  • laible
  • liabble
  • liabel
  • liablle
  • lialbe
  • libale
  • liible
  • lliable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of liable - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ilable2laible2liabble1liabel2liablle1lialbe2libale2liible1
Edit distance from "liable"

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 "liable"?
"liable" is spelled L-I-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlaɪ̯əbəl/.
What does "liable" mean?
As an adjective, "liable" means: Bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable.
What words are commonly confused with "liable"?
"liable" is commonly confused with "Lille", "libre", "lisle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "liable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "liable" is /ˈlaɪ̯əbəl/. 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 "liable"?
From Old French lier (“to bind”), from Latin ligare (“to bind, to tie”). 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 "liable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

misery#8,454module#8,455Monroe#8,457mosque#8,458

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

plains9 variantsgifted9 variantstraces9 variantsyields9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list