behavioural

/bɪˈheɪvjərəl/

//bɪˈheɪvjərəl// adj

"behavioural" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“behavioural” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,022 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#19,022
frequency rank, English
11
letters
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or pertaining to behaviour.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

behavioural vs behaviour
82% similar
behavioural vs behavioral
91% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for behavioural
PropertyValue
Headwordbehavioural
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/bɪˈheɪvjərəl/
Letters11
Frequency rank#19,022
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “behavioural” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). behavioural lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for behavioural is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɪˈheɪvjərəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,022 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Of or pertaining to behaviour.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for behavioural, with forms such as "bbehavioural", "beahvioural", and "behaivoural". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "behaviour", "behavioral", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From behaviour + -al. The correct English form is behavioural, spelled B-E-H-A-V-I-O-U-R-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to behaviour.

Etymology

From behaviour + -al.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbehavioural,beahvioural,behaivoural,behaviorual,behaviouarl,behaviourall,behaviourla,behaviourral,behaviuoral,behavoiural,behavvioural,behhavioural,behvaioural,bheavioural,ebhavioural

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of behavioural - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbehavioural1beahvioural2behaivoural2behaviorual2behaviouarl2behaviourall1behaviourla2behaviourral1
Edit distance from "behavioural"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "behavioural"?
"behavioural" is spelled B-E-H-A-V-I-O-U-R-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈheɪvjərəl/.
What does "behavioural" mean?
As an adjective, "behavioural" means: Of or pertaining to behaviour.
What words are commonly confused with "behavioural"?
"behavioural" is commonly confused with "behaviour", "behavioral". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "behavioural"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "behavioural" is /bɪˈheɪvjərəl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "behavioural"?
From behaviour + -al. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “behavioural”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-E-H-A-V-I-O-U-R-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bɪˈheɪvjərəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “behaviour” - see the side-by-side comparison. behavioural vs behaviour
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list