betrothal

/bɪˈtɹəʊ.ðəl/

//bɪˈtɹəʊ.ðəl// noun

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

"betrothal" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“betrothal” is uncommon English (frequency #53,400 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,400
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of betrothing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-betrothal · betrothal · English

betrothal · rank #53,400 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,400
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH benediction

Nearest frequency peer: benediction (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “betrothal”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “betrothal” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for betrothal
PropertyValue
Headwordbetrothal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɪˈtɹəʊ.ðəl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#53,400
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “betrothal” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “benediction” (#53,399), “Belton” (#53,398), “Bhaskar” (#53,402). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “betrothal” is #53,400. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

betrothal is uncommon English at frequency #53,400 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /bɪˈtɹəʊ.ðəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for betrothal, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From betroth + -al. The correct English form is betrothal, spelled B-E-T-R-O-T-H-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of betrothing.
  2. 2
    The fact of being betrothed; a mutual promise, engagement, or contract for a future marriage between two people.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. marriage betrothal
  2. formal betrothal

Etymology

From betroth + -al.

Synonyms

betrothmentaffiance

This word in other languages

esponsales(Español)accordailles(Français)Verlobung(Deutsch)esponsais(Português)

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 "betrothal"?
"betrothal" is spelled B-E-T-R-O-T-H-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈtɹəʊ.ðəl/.
What does "betrothal" mean?
As a noun, "betrothal" means: The act of betrothing.
How do you pronounce "betrothal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "betrothal" is /bɪˈtɹəʊ.ðəl/. 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 "betrothal"?
From betroth + -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 "betrothal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

belittled#53,397beachside#53,395brasserie#53,413aspartame#53,379

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list