Credible and creditable look similar, but they are not interchangeable.
Credible means believable, convincing, or trustworthy. Use it when talking about something that can be accepted as true or reliable. For example: Her explanation was credible. You could also say, The witness gave a credible account.
Creditable means deserving praise or credit. Use it when something is good enough to earn respect, even if it is not perfect or first place. For example: The team gave a creditable performance. Another example is, Finishing second was still a creditable result.
- Use credible for trust and believability.
- Use creditable for merit and praise.
- If you mean “people believe it,” choose credible.
- If you mean “it deserves credit,” choose creditable.
A simple memory tip helps: credible relates to whether something can be believed, while creditable relates to whether something deserves credit.