vulnerable

/ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/

//ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩// adj

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

"vulnerable" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vulnerable” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,095. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,095
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vulnerable · vulnerable · English

vulnerable · rank #5,095 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,095
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH veteran

Nearest frequency peer: veteran (-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 “vulnerable”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “vulnerable” 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).

vulnerable vs venerable
80% similar

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

Key facts for vulnerable
PropertyValue
Headwordvulnerable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/
Letters10
Frequency rank#5,095
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “vulnerable”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).vulnerablelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “veteran” (#5,094), “wealthy” (#5,096), “transformation” (#5,093). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vulnerable” is #5,095. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around vulnerable (IPA /ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,095 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for vulnerable, with forms such as "uvlnerable", "vlunerable", and "vulenrable". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "venerable", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin vulnerābilis (“injurious, wounding”), from Latin vulnerō (“I wound”). The correct English form is vulnerable, spelled V-U-L-N-E-R-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
  2. 2
    More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
  3. 3
    More likely to be exposed to malicious programs or viruses.
  4. 4
    at moderate risk of extinction though not quite endangered.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.’
  2. The elimination of [Roger] Federer after [Rafael] Nadal's loss to Lukas Rosol would have created mild panic among the fans of these gloriously gifted but now clearly vulnerable geniuses.

Etymology

From Late Latin vulnerābilis (“injurious, wounding”), from Latin vulnerō (“I wound”).

Synonyms

defencelesshelplesspowerlessunguardedunprotectedweakwoundable

Antonyms

durableindomitableinvincibleinvulnerablepowerfulstrong

This word in other languages

vulnerable(Español)vulnérable(Français)verletzlich(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • uvlnerable
  • vlunerable
  • vulenrable
  • vullnerable
  • vulnearble
  • vulnerabble
  • vulnerabel
  • vulnerablle
  • vulneralbe
  • vulnerbale
  • vulnerible
  • vulnerrable
  • vulnnerable
  • vulnreable
  • vunlerable
  • vvulnerable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of vulnerable - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

uvlnerable2vlunerable2vulenrable2vullnerable1vulnearble2vulnerabble1vulnerabel2vulnerablle1
Edit distance from "vulnerable"

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 "vulnerable"?
"vulnerable" is spelled V-U-L-N-E-R-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/.
What does "vulnerable" mean?
As an adjective, "vulnerable" means: More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
What words are commonly confused with "vulnerable"?
"vulnerable" is commonly confused with "venerable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vulnerable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vulnerable" is /ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/. 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 "vulnerable"?
From Late Latin vulnerābilis (“injurious, wounding”), from Latin vulnerō (“I wound”). 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 "vulnerable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

repeatedly#5,077influenced#5,137occupation#5,146evaluation#5,034

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

difficulties16 variantsimagination16 variantspractically16 variantscompletion16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list