Liveable or livable

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Grammarist

Liveable means fit or enjoyable to live in. Liveable may mean meets the minimum standards of habituation, but most often liveable means is pleasant to live in. Liveable enters the English language in the seventeenth century with the meaning likely to survive, within fifty years the definition comes to mean suitable for living in. Liveable is an adjective, the noun forms are liveability and liveableness. Liveable is the preferred British spelling.

Livable is the preferred American spelling, it is gaining acceptance around the world. Livable is an adjective, the noun forms are livability and livableness.

Examples

China vowed on December 22 that it would make “liveable” cities a central goal of China’s urban planning, amid persistent problems over choking smog that frequently blankets the populous east and north. (The Business Recorder)

Australia has four of the 10 most “liveable” cities in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, including Melbourne at No.1. (The Independent)

“Being able to safely walk around your neighbourhood is fundamental to a connected, liveable and sustainable city,” Mr Hamilton said. (The Herald Sun)

The mayor of Fort Wayne says he plans to examine city employees’ pay to ensure each of them is earning a livable wage. (The Washington Times)

It is such an important issue that Council Member Derwin Montgomery advocated a $15-an-hour wage for city workers after a protest supporting a livable wage showed up on the steps of City Hall in November. (The Winston-Salem Chronicle)

The committee has been tasked with creating a prioritized list of where Hermiston residents would most like to see the city spend money on making Hermiston a more livable place. (The East Oregonian)

The TRS manifesto for the GHMC election, which will be released on Saturday, promises to make Hyderabad a clean, green, safe, smart and livable city. (The New Indian Express)