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At first glance, the word “accountability” seems to mean something related to “accountancy,” the practice of reporting on the comings and goings of money. Only when you realised that it didn’t make any sense in context did you wonder if the word would mean something else. “Accountability” is indeed synonymous with “responsibility.” But, like every group of related words, there are always differences that set them apart.
“Responsibility”is a task assigned to you. Therefore, the word “responsibility” is frequently used as a countable noun. An example would be “your responsibilities include A, B, C, and D.”
“Accountability” is a state or a fact indicating that you are to be held responsible. Therefore, it’s not often that you see the word “accountability” being used as a countable noun (e.g., accountabilities?). An example would be “Some people believe that paying dividends is a form of corporate accountability to the shareholders.”
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