anecdotal
[ˌænɪkˈdoʊ̯tɫ̩]adjective
anecdotal is spelled A-N-E-C-D-O-T-A-L: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 23,253rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, anecdotal means “Of the nature of or relating to an anecdote” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in anecdotal?
| Letters | 9: A-N-E-C-D-O-T-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 23,253rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is anecdotal?
Anecdotal appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 23,253rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce anecdotal?
- UK [ˌænɪkˈdəʊ̯tɫ̩]
- US [ˌænɪkˈdoʊ̯tɫ̩]
- US [ˌænɪkˈdoʊ̯ɾɫ̩]
Anecdotal has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-anecdotal.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Grendelkhan-anecdotal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of anecdotal
- more anecdotal comparative
- most anecdotal superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does anecdotal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of the nature of or relating to an anecdote.
- 2
Containing or abounding in anecdotes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Anecdotal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense relating to or of the nature of an anecdote:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | anecdotique |
| German | anekdotisch |
| Portuguese | anedótico |
| Spanish | anecdótico |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does anecdotal come from?
From anecdote + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).