carnal
/ˈkɑɹnəl/adjective
carnal is spelled C-A-R-N-A-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, carnal means “Relating to the physical and especially sexual appetites or activities” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in carnal?
| Letters | 6: C-A-R-N-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,017th 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 carnal?
Carnal appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th 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 carnal?
- US /ˈkɑɹnəl/
Carnal has 2 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-carnal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of carnal
- more carnal comparative
- most carnal superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does carnal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Relating to the physical and especially sexual appetites or activities.
- 2
Worldly or earthly; temporal.
- 3
Of or relating to the body or flesh.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Carnal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | charnel |
| German | fleischlich, körperlich, sexuell, sinnlich , diesseitig |
| Portuguese | carnal |
| Spanish | carnal |
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 carnal come from?
From Middle English carnal, from Old French charnel, from Late Latin carnālis (“fleshy”), from oblique stem of Latin carō, carnis (“meat, flesh”) + -ālis (whence -al).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).