Practical vs Practicable: What's the Difference?
What's the Difference?
Practical" means useful or oriented towards application, while "practicable" is used to mean feasible.
Memory Tip: practical = useful action, practicable = possible action
practical has stress on 'prac', practicable on 'ti'
practical
adjectivePractical means something that is useful and can be used in real situations.
Example:
Although her theoretical knowledge of architecture was extensive, it was her practical experience on construction sites that truly set her apart in the field.
Common patterns:
practical advice
practical skills
practical experience
practicable /ˈpræktɪkəbl/
adjectiveCapable of being done or put into practice successfully.
Example:
While the proposal is ambitious and visionary, it is not practicable within the current budget constraints and technological limitations.
Common patterns:
practicable solution
practicable approach
practicable plan
Common Mistakes
Building a bridge across the canyon is practical with the current technology.
Building a bridge across the canyon is practicable with the current technology.
The sentence is discussing the feasibility of building the bridge, not its usefulness.
The new software update is practicable for daily use.
The new software update is practical for daily use.
The sentence refers to the usefulness of the software update, not whether it is feasible to use.
Quick Practice
0/2 correct1. Although her theoretical knowledge of architecture was extensive, it was her ____ experience on construction sites that truly set her apart in the field.
2. While the proposal is ambitious and visionary, it is not ____ within the current budget constraints and technological limitations.
Other Confusing Words
Never confuse practical / practicable again
Practice confusing word pairs with your daily goal in the Vocab5000 app and learn them for good with a scientifically proven repetition system. Start for free now.
