In this installment of Word Knots, we’ll follow up on #30, with two words that are somewhat related.

Our source for this installment is The Dictionary of Disagreeable English by Robert Hartwell Fiske (Chicago: Writer’s Digest Books). This is a great book to browse: I highly recommend it.

From Fiske:

Supposably

Solecistic for supposedly.

As Fiske writes:

Supposably means capable of being thought or supposed. Supposedly means presumably or seemingly. Supposably is not a synonym for supposedly; indeed it exists as such only in the minds of muddled speakers and failed writers.

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Here are the most relevant Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary definitions (excerpted):

supposable

adjective

: capable of being supposed: presumable, conceivable

—supposably

adverb

supposed

adjective

1 a: believed to be or accepted as such usually on slight grounds or in error : erroneously imputed or ascribed

—supposedly

adverb

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These two words are commonly confused, but in my experience, when people use supposably they usually mean supposedly. It comes up most often in spoken English, but I’ve seen it creep into written English. And as is the case whenever context is critical, AI won’t help you because it cannot comprehend. Also, the need to use supposably won’t come up very often.

Here are examples of each.

The jury considered the defendant’s alibi to be supposably valid.

Although she was rarely seen wearing anything but rags, the woman was supposedly a millionairess.

The differences are distinct, but one must be careful with both of these words to ensure that the correct meaning is clear.

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