palatable

/ˈpæl.ə.tə.bəl/

//ˈpæl.ə.tə.bəl// adj

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

The verdict

“palatable” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #26,907 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#26,907
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pleasing to the taste, tasty.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

palatable vs playable
78% similar
palatable vs palpable
78% similar

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

Key facts for palatable
PropertyValue
Headwordpalatable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpæl.ə.tə.bəl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#26,907
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “palatable” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). palatable lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for palatable is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpæl.ə.tə.bəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #26,907 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for palatable, with forms such as "aplatable", "paaltable", and "palaatble". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "playable", "palpable", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From palate + -able. The correct English form is palatable, spelled P-A-L-A-T-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pleasing to the taste, tasty.
  2. 2
    Tolerable, acceptable.

Etymology

From palate + -able.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aplatable,paaltable,palaatble,palatabble,palatabel,palatablle,palatalbe,palatbale,palatible,palattable,pallatable,paltaable,plaatable,ppalatable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of palatable - 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.

aplatable2paaltable2palaatble2palatabble1palatabel2palatablle1palatalbe2palatbale2
Edit distance from "palatable"

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 "palatable"?
"palatable" is spelled P-A-L-A-T-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpæl.ə.tə.bəl/.
What does "palatable" mean?
As an adjective, "palatable" means: Pleasing to the taste, tasty.
What words are commonly confused with "palatable"?
"palatable" is commonly confused with "playable", "palpable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "palatable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "palatable" is /ˈpæl.ə.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 "palatable"?
From palate + -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.

Using “palatable”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-A-L-A-T-A-B-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpæl.ə.tə.bəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “playable” - see the side-by-side comparison. palatable vs playable
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list