pitiable

/ˈpɪti.əbəl/

//ˈpɪti.əbəl// adj

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

"pitiable" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pitiable” is uncommon English (frequency #75,301 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,301
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That deserves, evokes or can be given pity; pitiful.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pitiable · pitiable · English

pitiable · rank #75,301 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,301
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pimpernel

Nearest frequency peer: pimpernel (-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 “pitiable”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for pitiable
PropertyValue
Headwordpitiable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɪti.əbəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#75,301
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “pitiable” in English

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).pitiablefalls 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: “pimpernel” (#75,300), “pimento” (#75,299), “plainer” (#75,303). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pitiable” is #75,301. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pitiable is uncommon English at frequency #75,301 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈpɪti.əbəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "That deserves, evokes or can be given pity; pitiful.".

pitiable doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French [Term?], from Old French piteable. By surface analysis, piti- + -able. The correct English form is pitiable, spelled P-I-T-I-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    That deserves, evokes or can be given pity; pitiful.

Etymology

From Middle French [Term?], from Old French piteable. By surface analysis, piti- + -able.

This word in other languages

lastimero(Español)pitoyable(Français)bedauerlich(Deutsch)

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 "pitiable"?
"pitiable" is spelled P-I-T-I-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɪti.əbəl/.
What does "pitiable" mean?
As an adjective, "pitiable" means: That deserves, evokes or can be given pity; pitiful.
How do you pronounce "pitiable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pitiable" is /ˈpɪti.əbəl/. 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 "pitiable"?
From Middle French [Term?], from Old French piteable. By surface analysis, piti- + -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 "pitiable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

perineum#75,283pawnshop#75,277quintile#75,330Paganini#75,262

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list