Words / B2

PROB-uh-bl/ˈprɒbəbl/

Probable means likely to happen or to be true: a probable cause; highly probable. Probably is the adverb (already in the dictionary); possible is weaker (already elsewhere). A probable cause still needs a stated confidence level. Mix-up: provable; probable vs possible. Do not write probable for a proven result.

Meaning

Likely to happen or to be true.

Examples

• “A probable cause still needs a stated confidence level, the methods tutor said.”
• “Rain is probable this afternoon, which is the forecast sense — still not a measurement.”

Good to know

probable + noun; highly / most probable. Adverb: probably. Weaker: possible. Trap: proven. Methods, news, and weather. Likely, not certain.

Near in meaning

likely

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