Predictable

How to spell predictable

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce predictable

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does predictable mean?

1. adjectiveAble to be known or expected in advance because it follows an obvious pattern.

Predictable in a sentence

• The morning traffic on that route is entirely predictable.

• Her response to the budget cuts was sadly predictable.

Where does predictable come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb dicere, meaning 'to say' or 'to tell', combined with the prefix prae-, meaning 'before'. The compound praedicere literally meant 'to say beforehand', that is, to foretell or announce in advance. English took the verb 'predict' in the early 1600s, and the adjective 'predictable' followed later, joining the root to the productive suffix -able, meaning 'capable of being'. The same dicere root underlies a large family of English words, including 'dictate', 'verdict', 'contradict' and 'diction', all of which involve speaking or telling. Because that root is spelled dict and the ending is the Latin-derived -able rather than -ible, the trickiest part for a writer is simply remembering the -able ending and the single c-t cluster in the middle.

How the word is built

• pre- (before)
• dict (from dicere: to say, to tell)
• -able (capable of)