Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

-ability

/-əˈbɪl.ə.ti/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.96 in modern English

Syllables
-a-bil-i-ty
IPA
/-əˈbɪl.ə.ti/
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
5
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

suffix

Forms a noun from a verb or an adjective by changing from -able; ability, inclination or suitability for a specified function or condition.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin -abilitas Middle French -abletébor. Middle English -ablete English -ability From Middle English -ablete, -iblete, -abilite, -ibilite, from Middle French -ableté, -ibleté, -abilité, -ibilité, from Latin -abilitas, -ibilitas, from -abilis (“able”) or -ibilis (“able”) + -tas. Equivalent to -able + -ity. See ability.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: -ablete, -ableté, -abilitas

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /-əˈbɪl.ə.ti/
  • British English: /-əˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/

Usage

Inflected Forms

-abilities (plural) -ibility (alternative)

Derived Forms

absorbability acceptability accountability adaptability affability availability bouncebackability capability culpability desirability durability flammability

Frequently Paired Words

agreeability availability avoidability clusterability collocability combinability countability crystallizability

Questions

How do you pronounce -ability?
The recorded pronunciation is /-əˈbɪl.ə.ti/.
What does -ability mean?
Forms a noun from a verb or an adjective by changing from -able; ability, inclination or suitability for a specified function or condition.
Where does -ability come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce -ability

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “-ability”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/-əˈbɪl.ə.ti/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “-ability”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “-ability” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.