-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:
accessible
admissible
audible
collapsible
combustible
compatible
comprehensible
contemptible
credible
defensible
destructible
digestible
divisible
edible
fallible |
flexible
gullible
horrible
illegible
implausible
inaccessible
incontrovertible
incredible
indefensible
indelible
inedible
insensible
intelligible
invincible
invisible |
illegible
irresistible
irreversible
ostensible
permissible
plausible
possible
responsible
reversible
sensible
susceptible
suggestible
tangible
terrible
visible |
The -able ending is for:
- some Latin words, for example: dependable
- non-Latin words, for example: affordable, renewable, washable
- new (modern) words, for example: networkable, windsurfable
Rule of thumb
This rule can help you decide the correct spelling. It works most (but not all!) of the time. 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 (note that accessible, contemptible, digestible, flexible and suggestible above are among the exceptions to this rule).
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