Browseable vs browsable?

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

Jessica Weissman wondered: <<Does anyone have a usage reference that  
supports either "browseable" or "browsable" to describe a set of  
choices?>>

I believe the word you're looking for is "dictionary". <gdrlh> My  
older unabridged does not list the word, but does list "browsing" (no  
"e") rather than "browseing", and that suggests a precedent for word  
formation from the root word "browse". That's not an infallible way  
to proceed, but if you've got a good grasp of word formation, it does  
at least provide guidance.

This is also a case when a Google search provides useful insights  
into usage. Google is not always reliable for matters of  
_correctness_, because 1 correct answer may be outnumbered by 1  
million uninformed opinions, but it's a very useful guide to whether  
and how usage (not useage <g>) is changing. You can do this yourself  
using two separate searches, or can take advantage of the clever  
"Google Fight" (http://www.googlefight.com/) site and do it in a  
single screen.

As it happens, "browsable" wins by a considerable margin. Even so,  
the number of hits for "browseable" is sufficiently high to suggest  
that a shift in usage may be occurring. Not high enough that I'd  
accept "browseable" just yet, though.
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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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