behavioural

/bɪˈheɪvjərəl/

//bɪˈheɪvjərəl// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“behavioural” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,022. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,022
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to behaviour.

Corpus desk

Index EN-behavioural · behavioural · English

behavioural · rank #19,022 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,022
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bays

Nearest frequency peer: bays (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “behavioural”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “behavioural” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

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)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “behavioural”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “bays” (#19,021), “Belgrade” (#19,023), “Baroque” (#19,020). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “behavioural” is #19,022. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around behavioural (IPA /bɪˈheɪvjərəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #19,022 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how behavioural appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Barry is... well, what? Borderline autistic and obsessive-compulsive, with serious anger management issues and a dangerous behavioural disorder that in the real world would get him a one-way ticket to the rubber room.

Etymology

From behaviour + -al.

This word in other languages

comportemental(Français)Verhaltens-(Deutsch)

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "behavioural", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ultraviolet#18,978penetrating#18,914miscarriage#19,140matchmaking#18,885

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

antagonist15 variantsungrateful15 variantsescalation15 variantsintestinal15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list