Which word is correct "unmoveable" or "unmovable"?
Meaning is found in Oxford Dictionary but not in Merriam Webster.
In below image, the word "unmoveable" is used more in 18th century than in 19th century. Does anyone know the answer?
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I don't think they're two different words, I think they're two different spellings for the same word. (Like colour and color.)– nnnnnnCommented Jun 2, 2016 at 11:04
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Colour and color is based on UK and US spelling. What about "unmoveable" it is not based on country and it was highly used in 18th century. My question is why is it so.– ARYFCommented Jun 2, 2016 at 11:30
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2@ARYF Language varies over time - and so do spellings. In the 1800s it was probably spelt phonetically (i.e. un+move+able), but gradually changed to unmovable.– 13509Commented Jun 2, 2016 at 13:20
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2 Answers
I would say that "unmovable" is the more correct (if not more used) spelling out of the two.
However, it's more common to say "immovable" in everyday speech. I do realise that unmovable and immovable have slightly different meanings (i.e. unmovable for emotions/people and immovable for physical objects), but they're mostly interchangeable.
Unmovable is the "more" correct spelling, although immovable is used more commonly than either. Unmoveable looks better to my eye but I agree it is more archaic, although I did come across it in a recently published art magazine from the UK.
