Collectable or Collectible?

What Is the Difference between "Collectable" and "Collectible"?

"Collectable" and "collectible" are easy to confuse because they sound so similar (i.e., they are nearly homonyms) and their meanings are close.

• "Collectable" describes items able to be collected. (e.g., payments, keys).
• "Collectible" describes items considered worthy of collecting by enthusiasts (e.g., coins, stamps).

More about "Collectable" and "Collectible"

The adjectives "collectable" and "collectible" have slightly different meanings even though both describe items that can be collected. (Many believe that "collectable" is a misspelling because "collectible" is far more common. (See Google's Ngram Viewer.))

Collectable

"Collectable" describes an item that can be collected (e.g., a payment, a set of keys, a car).

Example sentences with "collectable":

• The policy was stopped due to lack of a collectable payment prior to the loss.
• The hire car is collectable upon arrival.

Collectible

"Collectible" describes an item that a collector deems to be worth collecting (e.g., stamps, comics, coins).

Example sentences with "collectible":

• A collectible object usually appreciates in value over time.
• Soviet-era stamps are highly collectible.

Collectible as a Noun

Collectible is often seen as a noun.

Example:

• Star Wars figurines have been described as "holy grail of childhood collectibles."