noun / adjective · academic
variable
UK/ˈveəriəbl/US/ˈveriəbəl/VA·ri·able
Band 7+task2task1speaking
something that can change or be changed and affect the results of an experiment or situation
Examples
“Researchers controlled for several variables, such as age and income.”
“Temperature is a key variable in this experiment.”
“The results were variable across different regions.”
Band 8 sentence
“Because cultural attitudes are highly variable, any policy must be adaptable to local contexts.”
Collocations
- independent variable
- control for variables
Word family
variable noun / adjectivevariability nounvary verb
Common mistakes
vari-able→variable
variables (used without article when required)→the variables / variables depending on context
Say it for a higher band
5change→6factor→7+variable
Synonyms
factor
parameter
Easily confused
factor
“Several factors contributed to the decline in bee populations.”
Related words
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In Sublist 2
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