punishable

/ˈpʌnɪʃəbəl/

//ˈpʌnɪʃəbəl// adj

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

"punishable" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“punishable” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,673. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,673
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Subject to punishment; appropriate for punishment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-punishable · punishable · English

punishable · rank #19,673 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #19,673
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH priesthood

Nearest frequency peer: priesthood (-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 “punishable”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “punishable” 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).

punishable vs perishable
80% similar

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

Key facts for punishable
PropertyValue
Headwordpunishable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpʌnɪʃəbəl/
Letters10
Frequency rank#19,673
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “punishable”

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).punishablelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “priesthood” (#19,672), “Rahman” (#19,674), “prepaid” (#19,671). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “punishable” is #19,673. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around punishable (IPA /ˈpʌnɪʃəbəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #19,673 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Subject to punishment; appropriate for punishment.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for punishable, with forms such as "pnuishable", "ppunishable", and "puinshable". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "perishable", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From punish + -able. The correct English form is punishable, spelled P-U-N-I-S-H-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Subject to punishment; appropriate for punishment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Littering in this area is punishable by a fine of up to $100.
  2. Wearing a face covering also remains a requirement on all Transport for London services, where it has become a Condition of Carriage. This means that while non-compliance is no longer a criminal offence and punishable with a fine, passengers can still be asked to leave or prevented from boarding.

Etymology

From punish + -able.

Synonyms

castigablechastisabledisciplinablepenalpunishablestatutablesubpenal

Antonyms

dispunishablenondisciplinarynonpunishableunpunishable

This word in other languages

punible(Español)punissable(Français)strafbar(Deutsch)punível(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pnuishable
  • ppunishable
  • puinshable
  • punihsable
  • punisahble
  • punishabble
  • punishabel
  • punishablle
  • punishalbe
  • punishbale
  • punishhable
  • punishible
  • punisshable
  • punnishable
  • punsihable
  • upnishable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pnuishable2ppunishable1puinshable2punihsable2punisahble2punishabble1punishabel2punishablle1
Edit distance from "punishable"

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 "punishable"?
"punishable" is spelled P-U-N-I-S-H-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpʌnɪʃəbəl/.
What does "punishable" mean?
As an adjective, "punishable" means: Subject to punishment; appropriate for punishment.
What words are commonly confused with "punishable"?
"punishable" is commonly confused with "perishable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "punishable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "punishable" is /ˈpʌnɪʃəbəl/. 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 "punishable"?
From punish + -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 "punishable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

priesthood#19,672tightening#19,717illuminate#19,618unresolved#19,728

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

unspecified16 variantsexaggeration16 variantsdescendant16 variantsconsiderate16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list