tolerable

/ˈtɑləɹəbl̩/

//ˈtɑləɹəbl̩// adj

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

"tolerable" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tolerable” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,235. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,235
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Capable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tolerable · tolerable · English

tolerable · rank #25,235 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,235
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Thurston

Nearest frequency peer: Thurston (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tolerable”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “tolerable” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tolerable vs tolerate
78% similar
tolerable vs tolerance
78% similar

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

Key facts for tolerable
PropertyValue
Headwordtolerable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɑləɹəbl̩/
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,235
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tolerable”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Thurston” (#25,234), “topper” (#25,236), “tre” (#25,237). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tolerable” is #25,235. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around tolerable (IPA /ˈtɑləɹəbl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #25,235 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for tolerable, with forms such as "otlerable", "tloerable", and "toelrable". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "tolerate", "tolerance", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English tolerable, borrowed from Middle French tolerable, from Latin tolerābilis. The correct English form is tolerable, spelled T-O-L-E-R-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Capable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable.
  2. 2
    Moderate in degree; mediocre; passable, acceptable or so-so.
  3. 3
    Such as to be tolerated or countenanced; permissible; allowable.
  4. 4
    In fair health; passably well.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. A cabled despatch is better than nothing, but a voicecast of tolerable quality is preferable, and in certain types of story a voicecast with live or recorded actuality is best of all.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English tolerable, borrowed from Middle French tolerable, from Latin tolerābilis.

Antonyms

intolerable

This word in other languages

tolerable(Español)tolérable(Français)erträglich(Deutsch)sofrível(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • otlerable
  • tloerable
  • toelrable
  • tolearble
  • tolerabble
  • tolerabel
  • tolerablle
  • toleralbe
  • tolerbale
  • tolerible
  • tolerrable
  • tollerable
  • tolreable
  • ttolerable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

otlerable2tloerable2toelrable2tolearble2tolerabble1tolerabel2tolerablle1toleralbe2
Edit distance from "tolerable"

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 "tolerable"?
"tolerable" is spelled T-O-L-E-R-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɑləɹəbl̩/.
What does "tolerable" mean?
As an adjective, "tolerable" means: Capable of being borne, tolerated or endured; bearable or endurable.
What words are commonly confused with "tolerable"?
"tolerable" is commonly confused with "tolerate", "tolerance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tolerable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tolerable" is /ˈtɑləɹəbl̩/. 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 "tolerable"?
Inherited from Middle English tolerable, borrowed from Middle French tolerable, from Latin tolerābilis. 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 "tolerable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

unplugged#25,245acoustics#25,267shirtless#25,203actuality#25,268

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

secretion14 variantsprotester14 variantspolyester14 variantsPaddington14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list