risible

/ˈɹɪzɪbəl/

//ˈɹɪzɪbəl// adj

"risible" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“risible” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to laughter

Corpus desk

Index EN-risible · risible · English

risible · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "R" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for risible
PropertyValue
Headwordrisible
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɹɪzɪbəl/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “risible” in English

risiblefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

risible is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈɹɪzɪbəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for risible, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French risible and directly from Late Latin rīsibilis, from Latin rīsus (“laughter”) + -ibilis, from the perfect passive participle of rīdeō (“laugh”). The correct English form is risible, spelled R-I-S-I-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to laughter
  2. 2
    Provoking laughter; ludicrous; ridiculous; humorously insignificant
  3. 3
    Easily laughing; prone to laughter

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the risible muscles
  2. A joke merely affected her with silent convulsive twitchings, as though the risible faculties struggled somewhere within her but could not bring the laugh to birth.

Etymology

From Middle French risible and directly from Late Latin rīsibilis, from Latin rīsus (“laughter”) + -ibilis, from the perfect passive participle of rīdeō (“laugh”).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "risible"?
"risible" is spelled R-I-S-I-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɪzɪbəl/.
What does "risible" mean?
As an adjective, "risible" means: Of or pertaining to laughter
How do you pronounce "risible"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "risible" is /ˈɹɪzɪbəl/. 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 "risible"?
From Middle French risible and directly from Late Latin rīsibilis, from Latin rīsus (“laughter”) + -ibilis, from the perfect passive participle of rīdeō (“laugh”). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list