sable

/ˈseɪbəl/

//ˈseɪbəl// noun

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

"sable" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sable” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,449. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,449
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - A small carnivorous mammal of the Old World that resembles a weasel, Martes zibellina, from cold regions in Eurasia and the North Pacific islands, valued for its dark brown fur.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sable · sable · English

sable · rank #29,449 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,449
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH SARS

Nearest frequency peer: SARS (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “sable”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “sable” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sable vs sal
60% similar
sable vs SLE
0% similar
sable vs same
60% similar

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

Key facts for sable
PropertyValue
Headwordsable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈseɪbəl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#29,449
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sable” 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). sable lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around sable (IPA /ˈseɪbəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,449 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for sable, with forms such as "asble", "sabble", and "sabel". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sal", "SLE", "same", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested since 1275, from Middle English sable, from Old French sable and martre sable (“sable marten”), in reference to the animal or its fur; from Medieval Latin sabelum, from Middle Low German sabel (compare Middle Dutch sabel, Middle High German zobel);… The correct English form is sable, spelled S-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small carnivorous mammal of the Old World that resembles a weasel, Martes zibellina, from cold regions in Eurasia and the North Pacific islands, valued for its dark brown fur.
  2. 2
    Any other marten, especially Martes americana (syn. Mustela americana).
  3. 3
    A pelt of fur of a sable or of one of another species of martens; a coat made from this fur.
  4. 4
    An artist's brush made from the fur of the sable, the kolinsky sable-hair brush.
  5. 5
    A black colour on a coat of arms.
  6. 6
    A dark brown colour, resembling the fur of some sables.
  7. 7
    Black garments, especially worn in mourning.
  8. 8
    The sablefish.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Lovers dallied upon divans spread with sables.
  2. I ſee its Sables wove by Deſtiny.

Etymology

Attested since 1275, from Middle English sable, from Old French sable and martre sable (“sable marten”), in reference to the animal or its fur; from Medieval Latin sabelum, from Middle Low German sabel (compare Middle Dutch sabel, Middle High German zobel); ultimately from a Slavic word (compare Russian со́боль (sóbolʹ), Polish soból, Czech sobol). Compare also Middle Persian smwl (*samōr).

This word in other languages

marta(Español)zibeline(Français)Zobel(Deutsch)zibelina(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asble
  • sabble
  • sabel
  • sablle
  • salbe
  • sbale
  • sible
  • ssable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

asble2sabble1sabel2sablle1salbe2sbale2sible1ssable1
Edit distance from "sable"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sable"?
"sable" is spelled S-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈseɪbəl/.
What does "sable" mean?
As a noun, "sable" means: A small carnivorous mammal of the Old World that resembles a weasel, Martes zibellina, from cold regions in Eurasia and the North Pacific islands, valued for its dark brown fur.
What words are commonly confused with "sable"?
"sable" is commonly confused with "sal", "SLE", "same". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sable" is /ˈseɪbəl/. 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 "sable"?
Attested since 1275, from Middle English sable, from Old French sable and martre sable (“sable marten”), in reference to the animal or its fur; from Medieval Latin sabelum, from Middle Low German sabel (compare Middle Dutch sabel, Middle High Germ... 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 "sable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Ronny#29,446rayon#29,431slush#29,467smelt#29,468

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

senile8 variantssliver8 variantsRamona8 variantspalazzo8 variants
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