Mangled phrases

supposably

You mean supposedly. Supposably is a real word, and it does not mean that.

  • Supposably he’s quitting.

    Supposedly he’s quitting.

    You mean “people say he’s quitting.” That’s supposedly.

  • Supposably the build is fixed.

    Supposedly the build is fixed.

    Reporting a claim you’re not vouching for. Still supposedly.

The annoying part

Supposably is a real word. It’s in the dictionary. It means “capable of being supposed”—as in, it’s conceivable. You could say that’s supposably true and mean “one could suppose that,” and be correct.

You have never once meant that.

What you mean is supposedly: allegedly, according to what people are saying. It’s the far more common word, and it’s the one that fits every sentence you’ve put supposably into.

So this isn’t quite a made-up word. It’s worse—it’s a real one, deployed with total confidence, in the wrong place.

Now go say supposedly out loud.