Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse people. I have found the following to be among them:
LIABLE / LIBEL
These two words do look and sound similar but are not so often confused. Therefore, I was a bit surprised to see a writer use liable to mean libel.
The adjective liable usually means either responsible (if you don’t fix that staircase and someone falls because of it, you will be liable) or (used with the preposition to) exposed to some adverse happenstance (if you run down those stairs too fast, you are liable to trip and fall). In the latter case, the word likely is equally valid (if you are not careful, you are likely to fall).
The word libel, on the other hand, can be either a noun or a verb and usually involves published written or representational material that unjustly harms someone’s reputation.
INCORRECT: You are libel to get fired if you keep showing up late for work.
CORRECT: You are liable to get fired if you keep showing up late for work.
INCORRECT: Liable is neither condoned nor tolerated among responsible publishers.
CORRECT: Libel is neither condoned nor tolerated among responsible publishers.
ALSO CORRECT: You are liable to get sued for libel if you publish that falsehood.
© 2023 Ann Henry, all rights reserved.