Collectable or Collectible?

by Craig Shrives
The Quick Answer
What is the difference between collectable and collectible?

Collectable describes items able to be collected. (e.g., payments, keys).

Collectible describes items considered worthy of collecting by enthusiasts (e.g., coins, stamps).
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Collectable or Collectible?

The adjectives collectable and collectible have slightly different meanings even though both describe items that can be collected. (Many believe that collectable is a misspelling because collectible is far more common. (See Google's Ngram Viewer.))

Collectable

Collectable describes an item that can be collected (e.g., a payment, a set of keys, a car).

Examples:
  • The policy was stopped due to lack of a collectable payment prior to the loss.
  • The hire car is collectable upon arrival.

Collectible

Collectible describes an item that a collector deems to be worth collecting (e.g., stamps, comics, coins).

Examples:
  • A collectible object usually appreciates in value over time.
  • Soviet-era stamps are highly collectible.

Collectible as a Noun

Collectible is often seen as a noun.

Example:
  • Star Wars figurines have been described as "holy grail of childhood collectibles".
Interactive Exercise
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See Also

adverse or averse? affect or effect? appraise or apprise? avenge or revenge? bare or bear? complement or compliment? dependant or dependent? discreet or discrete? disinterested or uninterested? e.g. or i.e.? envy or jealousy? imply or infer? its or it's? material or materiel? poisonous or venomous? practice or practise? principal or principle? tenant or tenet? who's or whose?
What are adjectives? List of easily confused words