Able in Scrabble and Meaning

Lookup Word Points and Definitions

What does able mean? Is able a Scrabble word?

How many points in Scrabble is able worth? able how many points in Words With Friends? What does able mean? Get all these answers on this page.

Scrabble® and Words with Friends® points for able

See how to calculate how many points for able.

Is able a Scrabble word?

Yes. The word able is a Scrabble US word. The word able is worth 6 points in Scrabble:

A1B3L1E1

Is able a Scrabble UK word?

Yes. The word able is a Scrabble UK word and has 6 points:

A1B3L1E1

Is able a Words With Friends word?

Yes. The word able is a Words With Friends word. The word able is worth 8 points in Words With Friends (WWF):

A1B4L2E1

Our tools

Valid words made from Able

Results

4-letter words (6 found)

ABLE,ALBE,BAEL,BALE,BEAL,BLAE,

3-letter words (7 found)

ALB,ALE,BAE,BAL,BEL,LAB,LEA,

2-letter words (8 found)

AB,AE,AL,BA,BE,EA,EL,LA,

1-letter words (1 found)

E,

You can make 22 words from able according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

Definitions and meaning of able

able

English

Alternative forms

  • hable (obsolete)

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈeɪbl̩/, [ˈeɪ̯.bɫ̩]
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈeɪb(ə)l/
  • (L-Vocalisation) IPA(key): [ˈeɪ̯.bw]
  • Homophone: Abel
  • Rhymes: -eɪbəl

Etymology 1

From Middle English able, from Old Northern French able, variant of Old French abile, habile, from Latin habilis (easily managed, held, or handled; apt; skillful), from habeō (have, possess) +‎ -ibilis.

Broadly ousted the native Old English magan, which has taken a different meaning.

Adjective

able (comparative abler, superlative ablest)

  1. Having the necessary powers or the needed resources to accomplish a task. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
  2. Free from constraints preventing completion of task; permitted to; not prevented from. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
  3. Gifted with skill, intelligence, knowledge, or competence. [First attested in the mid 16th century.]
  4. (law) Legally qualified or competent. [First attested in the early 18th century.]
  5. (nautical) Capable of performing all the requisite duties; as an able seaman. [First attested in the late 18th century.]
  6. (obsolete, dialectal) Having the physical strength; robust; healthy. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
  7. (obsolete) Easy to use. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 18th century.]
  8. (obsolete) Suitable; competent. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 18th century.]
  9. (obsolete, dialectal) Liable to. [First attested from around (1350 to 1470).]
  10. (obsolete) Rich; well-to-do. [Attested from the mid 16th century until the late 19th century.]
Usage notes
  • In standard English, one is "able to do something". In some older texts representing various dialects, particularly Irish English, or black speech, "able for do something" is found instead, and in some Caribbean dialects "able with" is sometimes found.
Synonyms
  • See also Thesaurus:skillful
Derived terms
Related terms
  • -able, -ible
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English ablen, from Middle English able (adjective).

Verb

able (third-person singular simple present ables, present participle abling, simple past and past participle abled)

  1. (transitive, obsolete) To make ready. [Attested from around (1150 to 1350) until the late 16th century.]
  2. (transitive, obsolete) To make capable; to enable. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 19th century.]
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To dress. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the late 15th century.]
  4. (transitive, obsolete) To give power to; to reinforce; to confirm. [Attested from around (1350 to 1470) until the mid 17th century.]
  5. (transitive, obsolete) To vouch for; to guarantee. [Attested from the late 16th century until the early 17th century.]
  6. present participle and gerund of can
Derived terms
  • abled
Translations

Etymology 3

From the first letter of the word. Suggested in the 1916 United States Army Signal Book to distinguish the letter when communicating via telephone, and later adopted in other radio and telephone signal standards.

Noun

able (uncountable)

  1. (military) The letter "A" in Navy Phonetic Alphabet.

References

  • Most glosses: Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “able”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 5.

Anagrams

  • Abel, Bale, Beal, Blea, Ebla, Elba, albe, bael, bale, beal, blea

French

Pronunciation

Noun

able m (plural ables)

  1. a vernacular name of the common bleak (usually called ablette)
  2. a vernacular name of the sunbleak or moderlieschen, also called able de Heckel
  3. (rare) a vernacular name of any of some other related fishes in the genus Alburnus (Cyprinidae)

Further reading

  • “able”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

  • Abel, Bâle, béal, bêla

Middle English

Alternative forms

  • hable

Etymology

From Old French able, habile, from Latin habilis.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈaːbəl/

Adjective

able

  1. capable, expert, qualified, skilful, competent.

Descendants

  • English: able
  • Scots: able, abel, awbel, yible
  • Welsh: abl

References

  • “āble, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Old French

Alternative forms

  • abile
  • abille
  • habile

Etymology

From Latin habilis.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈablə/

Adjective

able m (oblique and nominative feminine singular able)

  1. able; capable

Declension

Descendants

  • French: habile
    • Romanian: abil
  • Middle Dutch: abel
    • Dutch: abel
  • Middle English: able, habil
    • English: able, habile
      • Welsh: abl

Scots

Etymology 1

From Middle English able, from Old French able, habile, from Latin habilis.

Alternative forms

  • abel, awbel, yible

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ebl/
  • (Southern Scots) IPA(key): /jɪbl/
  • (Northern Scots) IPA(key): /ɑːbl/

Adjective

able (superlative ablest)

  1. (obsolete) well-to-do, rich
  2. substantial
  3. physically fit, strong
  4. shrewd, cute, clever
References
  • “able, adj.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

Etymology 2

Adverb

able

  1. alternative form of aible (perhaps)
References
  • “able, adv.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

Source: wiktionary.org