Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell possible

hear itpos·si·ble/'pɑsəbəl/adjectiveLong vowels

What it means: Able to happen or be done.

In a sentence: It is possible to fly a kite on a windy day.

The part people get wrong

Watch for double s, and an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as posible or possable.

Same family: possibly, impossible, possibility, impossibility, potential. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Possible” comes from Latin *possibilis*, meaning “that can be done,” from *posse* “to be able.” It is closely related to the noun “possibility,” which keeps the same Latin root for “power” or “ability.”

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

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