countable

American  

[koun-tuh-buhl] / ˈkaʊn tə bəl /

adjective

1. able to be counted.

2. Mathematics.

   1. (of a set) having a finite number of elements.

   2. (of a set) having elements that form a one-to-one correspondence with the natural numbers; denumerable; enumerable.

---

ˈcountable British  

/ ˈkaʊntəbəl /

adjective

1. capable of being counted

2. maths logic able to be counted using the natural numbers; finite or denumerable

3. linguistics denoting a count noun

---

Other Word Forms

• countability noun
• countableness noun
• countably adverb

Etymology

Origin of countable

1400–50; late Middle English. See count ¹, -able

Example Sentences

The next word, "fünf," suggests something countable, excluding abstract ideas such as love or thirst.

From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2026

In Washington state, your primary home is not usually a countable asset when calculating financial eligibility for Medicaid, particularly for long-term care.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 5, 2025

Because one can number these calculating machines, the computable numbers are necessarily countable.

From Scientific American • May 23, 2023

They assume, reasonably enough, that the side with more countable stuff is likely to be the winner — and quickly if it has a lot more as Russia indeed did.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2023

Even the rational numbers—the set of numbers that can be written as a/b for integers a and b—were countable.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife