English & American English | Adding -er/-est | Adding -ing/-ed | Adding -ly | Adding -s | Adding - ible or -able | Adding - ie- or -ei-

Adding -ible or -able

Many words end in -ible and -able. Sometimes it is difficult to remember which spelling to use.

The -ible ending is for words of Latin origin. There are about 180 words ending in -ible. No new words are being created with -ible endings. Here are the most common examples:

The -able ending is for:

• non-Latin words, for example: affordable, dependable, washable
• new words, for example: networkable, windsurfable

Rule
This rule can help you decide the correct spelling. It works most of the time. But remember, if you are not sure about a word, it is probably best to use a dictionary. Here is the rule:

• If you remove -able from a word, you are left with a complete word.
• If you remove -ible from a word, you are not left with a complete word.

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