possible
pos·si·ble/ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/adjective, noun
possible is spelled P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E, 3 syllables: pos·si·ble. The wrong spelling people search most is possable: about 120 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 69 of all searches for the word. Possible is an adjective meaning “Able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible”.
How many letters and syllables are in possible?
| Letters | 8: P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: pos·si·ble |
| In writing | 229 times per million words; the 437th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 4; the most searched, possable, about 120 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you spell possible?
Possible is spelled P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E. 4 wrong spellings are searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 44 of the searches for possible in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is possible?
Possible appears 229 times per million words in written English, the 437th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce possible?
- UK /ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/
- UK [ˈpɒs.ə.bɫ̩]
- /ˈpɒs.ɪ.bl̩/
Possible has 3 syllables, split pos·si·ble in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-possible.wav, En-us-possible.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of possible
- more possible comparative
- most possible superlative
- possibles plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does possible mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible.
Rain tomorrow is possible, but I wouldn't bet on it.
- 2
Capable of being done or achieved; feasible.
It's possible for anyone to learn to play the bagpipes.
- 3
Being considered, e.g. for a position.
Jones and Smith are both possible for the opening in sales.
- 4
Apparently valid, likely, plausible.
noun
- 1
colloquialrareA possible choice, notably someone being considered for a position.
Jones is a possible for the new opening in sales.
- 2
colloquialrareThat which is possible for somebody.
- 3
rareA particular event that may happen.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate possible?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of possible: poss..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Possible in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does possible come from?
From Middle English possible, from Old French possible, from Latin possibilis (“possible”), from posse, possum (“to be able”); see power. Displaced Middle English acumendlic (“possible”), from Old English ācumendlīċ (“possible”). Compare also Old English mihtelīċ (“strong, capable, powerful, possible”), which was cognate with Old High German mahtlīh (“possible”) and Old Norse máttulígr (“mighty, possible”). Compare also Dutch mogelijk (“possible”) and German möglich (“possible”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).