2 syllables: La, bile. Stress on La.
LAY-buhl
/ˈleɪbəl/
Labile is pronounced LAY-buhl (/ˈleɪbəl/). It has two syllables (La-bile), with the stress on "La". Labile is an adjective describing something that is unstable or easily altered. It often refers to systems, conditions, or substances that are prone to change or fluctuation. The term is commonly used in scientific, medical, and risk contexts to convey volatility or fragility.
adjectiveLabile is an adjective describing something that is unstable or easily altered. It often refers to systems, conditions, or substances that are prone to change or fluctuation. The term is commonly used in scientific, medical, and risk contexts to convey volatility or fragility.
"The stock price proved labile, fluctuating with every market rumor."
"In biology, a labile enzyme is susceptible to rapid changes in activity."
"Her mood was labile, swinging from joy to sadness within hours."
Pronounce as LA-bi-le with stress on the first syllable. IPA: US ˈleɪ.biːl, UK ˈleɪ.bəl, AU ˈleɪ.bəl. Start with a clear 'lay' /leɪ/ followed by a soft 'bi' /bi/ (US) or a schwa in the second syllable /bəl/. Overall rhythm is trochaic: strong-weak-weak. Keep the second vowel light in British and Australian varieties.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress, saying la- BI-le or la-bi-LE. (2) Tense end-vowel in the second syllable; use a reduced vowel /bəl/ or /bɪl/ depending on accent. (3) Vowel quality in the first syllable; ensure /eɪ/ as in lay, not a short /ɛ/. Correct by practicing the two-step sequence: LAI- then brief schwa or light /əl/ in the third syllable. Practice with minimal pairs focusing on vowel length and final vowel reduction.
US tends to preserve a clear /leɪ/ with a stronger second syllable /biːl/ (or /biːl/). UK often reduces the final vowel more, giving /ˈleɪ.bəl/ with a softer, schwa-like second syllable; rhoticity is less impacting here. Australian English mirrors UK patterns but with a slightly flatter intonation and clearer final consonant. Across all, the first syllable remains stressed; the differences lie in the second syllable vowel quality and rhoticity influence, particularly in US where /biːl/ is common.
The challenge lies in the short final /l/ in many accents and the potential reduction of the second syllable vowel. The /eɪ/ diphthong in the first syllable must glide crisply, while the final syllable may reduce to /əl/ or /l/ depending on accent. Balancing the diphthong onset with a light, unstressed final syllable requires precise mouth posture and timing. Practicing with controlled tempo helps cement the trochaic rhythm.
A distinctive feature is the presence of a potential second-syllable vowel reduction (bi- vs beel) across accents. In careful speech, you can hold /biːl/ as in US, while in fast speech in UK/AU, the final syllable often becomes a schwa or a light /əl/. Practicing with a deliberate contrastive drill—/ˈleɪ.biːl/ vs /ˈleɪ.bəl/—helps solidify the pronunciation across contexts.
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- US: Stress first syllable; preserve /eɪ/ in the first vowel; allow final /l/ to be clear but can be syllabic in rapid speech. IPA: ˈleɪ.biːl (or ˈleɪ.bəl). - UK: Often weaker second syllable with /əl/; reduce final vowel; keep /ˈleɪ.bəl/. - AU: Similar to UK/US with a flatter intonation; ensure the /eɪ/ remains distinct and avoid a strong final vowel. IPA references: US /ˈleɪ.biːl/, UK /ˈleɪ.bəl/, AU /ˈleɪ.bəl/. Focus on the first diphthong /eɪ/ and the light second syllable.
Labile comes from the Latin labilis, meaning 'slippery, slip-slide, capable of slipping,' derived from lob-, lab-, meaning ‘to slip’ or ‘to glide.’ The form labile has been used in English since the 18th century, initially in medical and biological writings to describe things that are changeable or prone to slipping into different states. The root lab-, from Latin labor, is cognate with words like laboratory and laboratory science, but in labile it takes on a more abstract sense of susceptibility to fluctuation rather than physical labor. Over time, the usage broadened beyond medicine to general scholarship indicating instability or volatility in systems, emotions, or measurements. In modern usage, labile frequently collocates with terms like mood, membranes, or data, underscoring a state that can rapidly shift or degrade under varying conditions.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Labile" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Labile" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Labile"
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Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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