responsible

/ɹɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/

//ɹɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl// adj

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

"responsible" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“responsible” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,407 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,407
frequency rank, English
11
letters
18
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having the duty of taking care of something; answerable for an act performed or for its consequences; accountable; amenable, especially legally or politically.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

responsible vs responsive
82% similar
responsible vs responsibly
91% similar

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

Key facts for responsible
PropertyValue
Headwordresponsible
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/
Letters11
Frequency rank#1,407
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “responsible” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). responsible lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for responsible is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,407 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for responsible, with forms such as "ersponsible", "repsonsible", and "resopnsible". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "responsive", "responsibly", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French responsable, from Old French responsable, responsible, formed from the root of Latin responsus, from respondere. The spelling of the English word is taken from the Old French variant responsible. By surface analysis, response + -ible. The correct English form is responsible, spelled R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having the duty of taking care of something; answerable for an act performed or for its consequences; accountable; amenable, especially legally or politically.
  2. 2
    Being a primary cause of a situation or action and thus able to be blamed or credited for it.
  3. 3
    Answerable to (a superior).
  4. 4
    Involving important duties; involving a degree of personal accountability on the part of the person concerned.
  5. 5
    Having good judgment in decision-making.
  6. 6
    Able to be trusted; reliable; trustworthy.
  7. 7
    Capable of rational conduct and thus morally accountable for one's behavior.

Etymology

From Middle French responsable, from Old French responsable, responsible, formed from the root of Latin responsus, from respondere. The spelling of the English word is taken from the Old French variant responsible. By surface analysis, response + -ible.

Antonyms

irresponsible

This word in other languages

responsable(Español)responsable(Français)verantwortlich(Deutsch)responsável(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ersponsible,repsonsible,resopnsible,respnosible,responisble,responnsible,responsable,responsbile,responsibble,responsibel,responsiblle,responsilbe,responssible,resposnible,respponsible,ressponsible,rresponsible,rseponsible

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of responsible - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ersponsible2repsonsible2resopnsible2respnosible2responisble2responnsible1responsable1responsbile2
Edit distance from "responsible"

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 "responsible"?
"responsible" is spelled R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/.
What does "responsible" mean?
As an adjective, "responsible" means: Having the duty of taking care of something; answerable for an act performed or for its consequences; accountable; amenable, especially legally or politically.
What words are commonly confused with "responsible"?
"responsible" is commonly confused with "responsive", "responsibly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "responsible"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "responsible" is /ɹɪˈspɒn.sə.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 "responsible"?
From Middle French responsable, from Old French responsable, responsible, formed from the root of Latin responsus, from respondere. The spelling of the English word is taken from the Old French variant responsible. By surface analysis, response + ... 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.

Using “responsible”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹɪˈspɒn.sə.bəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “responsive” - see the side-by-side comparison. responsible vs responsive
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list