honorable and honourable are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. honorable means “not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent”. honourable means “worthy of being honored; entitled to honor and respect”. honorable is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈɑnɚəbəl/
1.adj.not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
“honest lawyers”
2.adj.worthy of being honored; entitled to honor and respect
“an honorable man”
3.adj.adhering to ethical and moral principles
“it seems ethical and right”
| honorable | honourable | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈɑnɚəbəl/ | /ˈɑnɚəbəl/ |
| Said | AH-nur-uh-buhl | AH-nur-uh-buhl |
| Syllables | 4 | 4 |
| Letters | 9 | 10 |
| Parts of speech | adjective | adjective |
| Senses | 4 | 2 |
| How common | Common | Familiar |
| Synonyms | honest | honorable |
Full entry for honorable · Full entry for honourable · More comparisons
/ˈɑnɚəbəl/
1.adj.worthy of being honored; entitled to honor and respect
“an honorable man”
2.adj.adhering to ethical and moral principles
“it seems ethical and right”