Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

capability

/ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ə.ti/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.07 in modern English

Syllables: ca-pa-bil-i-ty
IPA: /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ə.ti/

19

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

5

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The power or ability to generate an outcome.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A digital token allowing a user or process to interact in a specified way with an object that is subject to access control.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"And that sight will become more common in the coming years, as the city’s police pursue an ambitious campaign to install thousands of cameras to elevate their surveillance capabilities."
"A file descriptor can be considered a capability that can only be leveraged using the appropriate system calls, passing it as an argument."
"Enforcing a security policy means controlling the rights users can acquire to data. In a capability machine, a user’s rights are defined by the capabilities he (or a process acting on his behalf) can obtain and the access rights conferred by those capabilities."

Etymology

Formed in Modern English as capable + -ity.

Word Breakdown

Root: *kap-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ə.ti/
British English: /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/

Usage

Inflected Forms

capabilities (plural)

Derived Forms

capernosity immunocapability incapability

Phrases

capability overhang limited-capability negative capability

Frequently Paired Words

capable

Synonyms

capableness potentiality capacity

Rhymes With

responsibility utility availability mobility flexibility reliability fertility hostility volatility nobility feasibility viability

Questions

How do you pronounce capability?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ə.ti/.
What does capability mean?: The power or ability to generate an outcome.
Where does capability come from?: Formed in Modern English as capable + -ity.

How to pronounce capability

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