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As in "that which could be edited," or "editable" if you will.

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For what it’s worth, the Oxford Dictionary of English lists ‘editable’ as an adjective that can qualify text or software. –  Bavarious Nov 10 '11 at 16:16
I couldn't find it listed as a recognized word at all, but thanks. And it sounds too much like "edible," which makes things worse :/ –  wanderer Nov 10 '11 at 16:21
And first recorded in 1935. –  Barrie England Nov 10 '11 at 16:25
@wanderer, welcome, you should use tools such as onelook to search multiple dictionaries online. –  Unreason Nov 10 '11 at 16:31

7 Answers 7

How about "mutable"?


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I just don't think "mutable" is apt for usage referring to text. It just doesn't sound right :/ –  wanderer Nov 10 '11 at 16:19
Well certainly it depends on your specific application of the word. If you're writing for a technical audience I think that mutable would be a very concise choice. If you're writing for a non-technical audience "editable", as Bavarious suggested, might be the best fit. –  Lucifer Sam Nov 10 '11 at 16:23

"editable" seems to be in-use currently and is growing in popularity. Since it seems to be a relatively recent coining, I'd recommend using it for technical audiences but might avoid using it if I thought my audience would prefer more "established" words.

ngram showing sharp rise in use of editable around 1980

Also, the Corpus of Contemporary American English shows some usage of the word in the way you'd expect. Most of these uses are computer-related or academic publications.

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Interesting, thanks for that reference! –  wanderer Nov 10 '11 at 16:23
So... what word/phrase did people use before the 1980's? ;) –  FrustratedWithFormsDesigner Nov 10 '11 at 16:31
I think before the rise of computers, "editing" was limited to, well, editors, and there wasn't any special need for a special adjective to describe that which could be edited. Paper was inherently editable. –  Lynn Nov 10 '11 at 17:55
I just tried that google word-count-in-books-thing, and found that "revisable" was in heavier usage until the mid-1990's: books.google.com/ngrams/… –  FrustratedWithFormsDesigner Nov 10 '11 at 21:11
Editable seems like a normal word that can be applied to text. But if OP is worried he might confuse it with edible, and thus be forced to eat his words, he could consider amendable –  FumbleFingers Nov 11 '11 at 15:49

You could use revisable if you don't like editable.

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Though I like editable best, changeable is a possible answer.

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How about "updateable", "changeable", and/or "modifiable" ?

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As others have said, "editable" is technically correct. Depending on the context, you may be able to say it in a different way, to avoid the awkward-sounding "editable":

Instead of:

The box is light gray when the text is editable.


The box is light gray when you can edit the text.

You can edit the text when the box is light gray.

The box is light gray when editing is enabled.

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Proper terms:

  • Editable *
  • Customizable
  • Changeable *
  • Alterable
  • Modifiable *
  • Revisable *


  • Modable

Words stated in previous posts are marked with an astrix *

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