labile

\la.bil\

/\la.bil\/ adj

The verdict

“labile” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Qui n’est pas fixe ; mobile, changeant.

Corpus desk

Index FR-labile · labile · French

labile · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for labile
PropertyValue
Headwordlabile
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\la.bil\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « labile » en français

labilesiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

labile is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \la.bil\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for labile in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is labile, spelled L-A-B-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui n’est pas fixe ; mobile, changeant.
  2. 2
    Amovible, non-fixé, facilement détachable, voire instable, notamment en raison de la chaleur. Se dit par exemple de certaines protéines, des vitamines, etc.
  3. 3
    Se dit d’une humeur changeante, qui se modifie aisément.
  4. 4
    Se dit d’un état variable d’un moment à l’autre.
  5. 5
    Sujet à défaillance, chute.
  6. 6
    Se dit d’un verbe qui peut être à la fois transitif et intransitif, sans changement de forme.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. … il n’existe pas de « civilisations ». Il n’y a que des sociétés, des groupes culturellement et historiquement labiles.
  2. En Amérique latine, les frontières sont encore labiles.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "labile"?
"labile" is spelled L-A-B-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \la.bil\.
What does "labile" mean?
As an adjective, "labile" means: Qui n’est pas fixe ; mobile, changeant.
How do you pronounce "labile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "labile" is \la.bil\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "labile" come from?
"labile" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list