Variability

How to spell variability

11 letters · 6 syllables

How to pronounce variability

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does variability mean?

1. nounThe tendency or capacity of something to change, differ, or be inconsistent.

Variability in a sentence

• The high variability in monthly sales made the forecast difficult to trust.

• Weather variability across the region forced the airline to add longer buffers to its schedule.

Where does variability come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin adjective varius, which meant 'diverse, speckled, or many-coloured', and originally described surfaces dappled with different shades. From varius came the verb variare, 'to change or make different', and the later adjective variabilis, meaning 'liable to change'. English took variable from Old French and Latin in the late 1300s, and the abstract noun variability, denoting the quality of being changeable, was built on top of it and came into regular use by the 1700s, especially in scientific and statistical writing. The same varius root still feeds everyday relatives such as 'various', 'variety', and 'variation', which is a useful reminder that the spelling keeps the 'i' before the '-ability' ending. The trickiest part for writers is the stack of weak vowels in the middle, vari-a-bil-i-ty, where each unstressed syllable hides an easily forgotten letter.

How the word is built

• vari- (from Latin varius: changeable, diverse)
• -abil- (able to)
• -ity (noun: state or quality)