possible
/ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/
"possible" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“possible” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #438 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #438
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | possible |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #438 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “possible” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for possible is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #438 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for possible, with forms such as "opssible", "posible", and "posisble". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "possibly", "Popsicle", "passable", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: 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 mi… The correct English form is possible, spelled P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E.
Definition
- 1Able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible.
- 2Capable of being done or achieved; feasible.
- 3Being considered, e.g. for a position.
- 4Apparently valid, likely, plausible.
Etymology
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”).
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: opssible,posible,posisble,possable,possbile,possibble,possibel,possiblle,possilbe,ppossible,psosible
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of possible - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “possible”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “possibly” - see the side-by-side comparison. possible vs possibly
- 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.