Pronunciation: [kˈʌlpəbə͡l] (IPA) 
Culpable is spelled with five letters - c-u-l-p-a-b-l-e. The IPA phonetic transcription for "culpable" is /ˈkʌlpəbəl/, meaning that the "c" is pronounced as /k/, the "u" as /ʌ/, the "l" as /l/, the "p" as /p/, the "a" as /ə/, the "b" as /b/, and the "e" as /əl/. Culpable is an adjective used to describe someone who is responsible for causing harm, damage or wrongdoing, and is often used in legal contexts.
Culpable is an adjective that refers to being responsible for an offense or wrongdoing. Derived from the Latin word "culpare" which means "to blame," culpable denotes a state of guilt or blameworthiness for an action or a decision that has resulted in harm or negative consequences.
When describing someone as culpable, it means that they are deserving or liable to be held accountable for their actions or omissions. It suggests a lack of innocence or an unethical mindset that caused harm, either intentionally or negligently. It implies that the person in question could and should have acted differently to prevent the negative outcome.
Culpable can be used in legal contexts to establish liability for a crime, where it denotes the degree of guilt for a specific offense. In such cases, it is determined if the accused understood the implications of their actions, possessed the required mental state, and willingly carried out the illegal act.
However, culpable is not limited to legal settings. It can also be used more broadly to describe and criticize individuals, groups, or institutions for their role in societal or ethical transgressions. It emphasizes the moral or ethical aspect of responsibility and implies a breach of trust, duty, or moral code.
In summary, culpable describes a state of being accountable or blameworthy for an offense or wrongdoing, either legally or morally. It suggests a level of guilt or responsibility for actions or decisions that led to harm or negative consequences.
Deserving of blame or censure; sinful; criminal.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "culpable" originated from the Latin adjective "culpabilis", which is derived from the noun "culpa", meaning "fault" or "blame". The Latin word "culpare" means "to blame" or "to censure". Over time, "culpable" was adopted into Middle English and has retained its meaning of being deserving of blame or guilt.
