Applicable

How to spell applicable

10 letters · 4 syllables

2 of the 87 people asked to spell applicable in Spelling Garden got it wrong the first time.

How to pronounce applicable

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does applicable mean?

1. adjectiveRelevant or appropriate to a particular person, situation, or set of circumstances.

Applicable in a sentence

• The discount is applicable only to orders placed before noon.

• Please complete every section of the form that is applicable to your role.

Where does applicable come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin applicare, meaning 'to attach to' or 'to fit to', formed from ad 'to, toward' and plicare 'to fold'. The literal image is of folding or laying one thing against another, the same fold-idea that survives in words like 'pliable', 'complicate', and 'reply'. From the late Latin applicabilis, 'capable of being applied', the term passed into English in the 1500s, carrying the sense of something that can be fitted or brought to bear on a particular case. Over time the meaning settled into the modern idea of being relevant or suitable to a given situation. The spelling trap lies in the single 'p' after the prefix and the soft '-able' ending, since speakers often hesitate between '-able' and '-ible'; remembering the verb 'apply' helps fix both the root and the suffix.

How the word is built

• ap- (from ad-: to, toward)
• plic (from plicare: to fold or fit)
• -able (suffix: capable of, suitable for)