Engageability (was Browseable vs browsable)

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

Kathy Bowman wondered: <<I have been using the word 'engageabilty'  
and neither 'engageability' nor 'engagability' exists in any  
dictionary I have seen. It is jargon, but appropriate for the  
context. Which spelling do you think I should use for this  
nonexistent word?>>

I'm not gaga over "engagability"--for reasons that should now be  
obvious--though it doesn't quite make me gag. <g> Think of it this  
way: extra letters, like hyphens, are necessary when they prevent an  
obvious and likely misreading. In English, a "g" by itself can be  
either soft (manage or <ahem> Geoff) or hard (gag me with a spoon).  
Where it's not clear which one is the case, you can be confident that  
adding an "e" turns the "g" soft. If you "engage" me in conversation,  
I'll be pleased to converse; if you "engag" me in conversation, I'll  
be looking for that little waxed-paper bag used for "mal de l'air". <g>

Needless to say, English spelling isn't remotely logical, since it  
borrows rules from pretty much every living language and many dead  
ones. But the above offers a pretty good rule of thumb if you have a  
good enough knowledge of the language to recognize the exceptions.
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Geoff Hart   ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca

(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)

www.geoff-hart.com

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