suitable

[ˈsjuː.tə.bɫ̩]

/[ˈsjuː.tə.bɫ̩]/ adj

"suitable" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“suitable” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,790 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#3,790
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having sufficient or the required properties for a certain purpose or task; appropriate to a certain occasion.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

suitable vs suitably
88% similar
suitable vs stable
75% similar
suitable vs sizable
75% similar

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

Key facts for suitable
PropertyValue
Headwordsuitable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈsjuː.tə.bɫ̩]
Letters8
Frequency rank#3,790
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “suitable” 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). suitable 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 suitable is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈsjuː.tə.bɫ̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #3,790 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Having sufficient or the required properties for a certain purpose or task; appropriate to a certain occasion.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for suitable, with forms such as "siutable", "ssuitable", and "suiatble". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "suitably", "stable", "sizable", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From suit + -able. The correct English form is suitable, spelled S-U-I-T-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having sufficient or the required properties for a certain purpose or task; appropriate to a certain occasion.

Etymology

From suit + -able.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: siutable,ssuitable,suiatble,suitabble,suitabel,suitablle,suitalbe,suitbale,suitible,suittable,sutiable,usitable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of suitable - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

siutable2ssuitable1suiatble2suitabble1suitabel2suitablle1suitalbe2suitbale2
Edit distance from "suitable"

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 "suitable"?
"suitable" is spelled S-U-I-T-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈsjuː.tə.bɫ̩].
What does "suitable" mean?
As an adjective, "suitable" means: Having sufficient or the required properties for a certain purpose or task; appropriate to a certain occasion.
What words are commonly confused with "suitable"?
"suitable" is commonly confused with "suitably", "stable", "sizable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "suitable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "suitable" is [ˈsjuː.tə.bɫ̩]. 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 "suitable"?
From suit + -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.

Using “suitable”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-U-I-T-A-B-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈsjuː.tə.bɫ̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “suitably” - see the side-by-side comparison. suitable vs suitably
  • 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