Revised as of
5 Nov 2022
It’s a reprieve all ye writers! The only concern any writer will have with this word confusion collectable vs collectible is keeping your spelling consistent.
Of course, if you want to add some flavor, remember that collectAble is a British spelling while collectIble is primarily North American.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Collectable | Collectible |
|---|---|
Pez Dispensers by Linnaea Mallette is under the CC0 license, via Public Domain Pictures. — Some Pez dispensers can sell for large amounts as collectibles. |
|
| Part of Grammar: | |
| British
Adjective; Noun Usually in the plural: collectables Alternative spelling: collectible |
North American
Adjective; Noun Usually in the plural: collectibles Alternative spelling: collectable |
| Adjective: [Of an item] Worth collecting
Able to be collected Noun: |
|
| Examples: | |
| Adjective: “The FTC said it’s too soon to know how much of the $9 million judgment is collectable and may ultimately be returned to victims” (KHOU). His books became increasingly collectable classics. He’s become interested in collectable coins. Second, there are toys like transforming robots, robot pets and collectable card games like Pokemon and Yugi-Oh. Some smart honcho at Fox will have the movie released on DVD to coincide with Election Day, in collectable red or blue cases. Noun: You also receive a certificate of authentication that adds additional value to these collectables. Hundreds of people went to the museum’s D4 hangar to have items valued and show off their collectables of the future. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is calling upon artists and collectors to make donations of original art and rare collectables to assist in summer fundraising. The astonishing collection of antiques, bygones, and collectables of Lincolnshire artist Colin Carr is expected to attract hundreds of fans. |
Adjective: “The FTC said it’s too soon to know how much of the $9 million judgment is collectible and may ultimately be returned to victims” (KHOU). His books became increasingly collectible classics. He’s become interested in collectible coins. Second, there are toys like transforming robots, robot pets, and collectible card games like Pokemon and Yugi-Oh. Some smart honcho at Fox will have the movie released on DVD to coincide with Election Day, in collectible red or blue cases. Noun: You also receive a certificate of authentication that adds additional value to these collectibles. Hundreds of people went to the museum’s D4 hangar to have items valued and show off their collectibles of the future. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is calling upon artists and collectors to make donations of original art and rare collectibles to assist in summer fundraising. The astonishing collection of antiques, bygones, and collectibles of Lincolnshire artist Colin Carr is expected to attract hundreds of fans. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: noncollectable, precollectable Noun: collectability |
Adjective: noncollectible, precollectible Noun: collectibility |
| History of the Word: | |
| First recorded in 1640–50; collect + -able, from late Middle English from the Latin collēctus, a past participle of colligere meaning to collect. | First recorded in 1640–50; collect + -ible, from late Middle English from the Latin collēctus, a past participle of colligere meaning to collect. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Collectable versus Collectible
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: collectible
Lexico.com: collectable
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Lladro, Sevilla, Spain, by bexpokerry is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.
