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readable

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

8 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "readable", 8-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "readable" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "readable" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

readable is anEnglishadj. It means: Legible, possible to read or at least decipher. Pronounced /ˈɹiː.də.bəl/. Often confused with reliable and reusable.

Key facts for readable
PropertyValue
Headwordreadable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdj
IPA/ˈɹiː.də.bəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#19,956
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of readable in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for readable is 8 letters long, classified as anadj, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹiː.də.bəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,956 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 12 documented wrong-spelling variants for readable, with forms such as "eradable", "raedable", and "reaadble". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "reliable", "reusable", "relatable", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From read + -able. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is readable, spelled R-E-A-D-A-B-L-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Legible, possible to read or at least decipher.
  2. 2
    Which can be read—i.e. accessed or played—by a certain technical type of device.
  3. 3
    Enjoyable to read, of an acceptable stylistic quality or at least functionally composed.

Etymology

From read + -able.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eradable,raedable,reaadble,readabble,readabel,readablle,readalbe,readbale,readdable,readible,redaable,rreadable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for readable

Misspelling Variants of "readable"

eradable8raedable8reaadble8readabble9readabel8readablle9readalbe8readbale8
Misspelling Variants of "readable"

Frequency rank: #19,956 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "readable"?
"readable" is spelled R-E-A-D-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹiː.də.bəl/.
What does "readable" mean?
As an adj, "readable" means: Legible, possible to read or at least decipher.
What words are commonly confused with "readable"?
"readable" is commonly confused with "reliable", "reusable", "relatable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "readable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "readable" is /ˈɹiː.də.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 "readable"?
From read + -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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter R in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.