viable
vi·a·ble/ˈvaɪəbəl/adjective, noun
viable is spelled V-I-A-B-L-E: 6 letters and 3 syllables (vi·a·ble). It appears 9.1 times per million words in written English, the 7,553rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, viable means “Able to live on its own (as for a newborn)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in viable?
| Letters | 6: V-I-A-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: vi·a·ble |
| In writing | 9.1 times per million words; the 7,553rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is viable?
Viable appears 9.1 times per million words in written English, the 7,553rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce viable?
- /ˈvaɪəbəl/
Viable has 3 syllables, split vi·a·ble in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-viable.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of viable
- more viable comparative
- most viable superlative
- viables plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does viable mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Able to live on its own (as for a newborn).
- 2
Able to be done, possible, practicable, feasible.
a viable option
- 3
Capable of working successfully
- 4
Able to live and develop.
noun
- 1
An organism that is able to live and develop.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Viable in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | viable |
| German | lebensfähig , machbar , überlebensfähig, entwicklungsfähig |
| Portuguese | viável |
| Spanish | viable |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does viable come from?
Borrowed from French viable (further from Latin vīta), with semantic influence of Latin viābilis (“passable”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).