convivial

/kənˈvɪv.i.əl/

//kənˈvɪv.i.əl// adj

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

The verdict

“convivial” is uncommon English (frequency #59,981 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,981
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having elements of a feast or of entertainment, especially when it comes to eating and drinking, with accompanying festivity

Corpus desk

Index EN-convivial · convivial · English

convivial · rank #59,981 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,981
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH conversant

Nearest frequency peer: conversant (-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 “convivial”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for convivial
PropertyValue
Headwordconvivial
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kənˈvɪv.i.əl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#59,981
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “convivial” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).convivialfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “conversant” (#59,980), “Coquitlam” (#59,982), “convenor” (#59,979). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “convivial” is #59,981. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

convivial is uncommon English at frequency #59,981 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /kənˈvɪv.i.əl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Having elements of a feast or of entertainment, especially when it comes to eating and drinking, with accompanying festivity".

convivial doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French convivial, from Latin convīvium (“a feast”), combined form of con- (“together”) + vīvō (“to live”). The correct English form is convivial, spelled C-O-N-V-I-V-I-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having elements of a feast or of entertainment, especially when it comes to eating and drinking, with accompanying festivity

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I put the chief of police behind the bar, instructed him in his duties, and we four convivial spirits sprawled along the counter drinking ale and telling yarns till cockcrow.

Etymology

Borrowed from French convivial, from Latin convīvium (“a feast”), combined form of con- (“together”) + vīvō (“to live”).

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 "convivial"?
"convivial" is spelled C-O-N-V-I-V-I-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈvɪv.i.əl/.
What does "convivial" mean?
As an adjective, "convivial" means: Having elements of a feast or of entertainment, especially when it comes to eating and drinking, with accompanying festivity
How do you pronounce "convivial"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "convivial" is /kənˈvɪv.i.əl/. 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 "convivial"?
Borrowed from French convivial, from Latin convīvium (“a feast”), combined form of con- (“together”) + vīvō (“to live”). 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 "convivial", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list