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-ABLE and -IBLE words

Despite different spellings, -able and -ible are pronounced identically as an unstressed uh-bul. The stress stays on the root word and never moves onto the ending, so it is comFORTable, not comfortABLE. Several of these also lose a syllable entirely in natural speech.

Accent

15 words · intermediate · your accent and voice are remembered across the site. More options on the settings page.

The words

comfortable
incredible
vegetable
possible
reliable
visible
reasonable
flexible
valuable
terrible
available
responsible
miserable
sensible
inevitable

More lists like this

-IC and -ICAL stress
Photograph, photography, photographic: the stress moves every time. Hear the whole family.
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-ED ending words
Walked, played, wanted: -ed has three sounds, T, D and ID. Learn which verb takes which.
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-S ending words
Cats, dogs, buses: the plural S has three sounds. Hear when it is S, Z or IZ.
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-TION words
Nation, education, question: the -tion ending and where the stress always falls. Hear the rule.
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-SION words
Decision, mission, television: -sion is sometimes ZH, sometimes SH. Learn which is which.
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-OUGH words
Though, through, tough, cough, bough: one spelling, seven sounds. English at its worst.
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Show the 15 words

Keep practising

Browse every practice list or the word index, hear two accents back to back on Compare, or test your ear with the listening quiz.

To read the rules behind these words, see the pronunciation guides — including silent letters, word stress and American vs British. Or hear each accent on its own page: American, British, Australian.