banal
ban·al/bəˈnɑːl/adjective
banal is spelled B-A-N-A-L: 5 letters and 2 syllables (ban·al). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, banal means “Common in a boring way, to the point of being predictable; containing nothing new or fresh” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in banal?
| Letters | 5: B-A-N-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ban·al |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 33,636th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is banal?
Banal appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th 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 banal?
- /bəˈnɑːl/
- /ˈbeɪnəl/
- /bəˈnæl/
Banal has 2 syllables, split ban·al in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-banal.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with banal?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as banal.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: alban, nabla.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of banal
- more banal comparative
- banaler comparative
- most banal superlative
- banalest superlative
- bannal
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does banal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Common in a boring way, to the point of being predictable; containing nothing new or fresh.
banal clichés
- 2
Relating to a type of feudal jurisdiction or service.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Banal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense common:
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 banal come from?
Borrowed from French banal (“held in common, relating to feudal service, by extension commonplace”), from Old French banel, related to Medieval Latin bannālis (“subject to feudal authority”), from Latin bannus (“jurisdiction”), both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bannaną (“to order, summon, forbid”). Equivalent to ban + -al. See also ban, abandon.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).