dental
/ˈdɛn.təl/adjective, noun
dental is spelled D-E-N-T-A-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,957th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, dental means “Of or concerning the teeth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in dental?
| Letters | 6: D-E-N-T-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,957th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is dental?
Dental appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,957th 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 dental?
- UK /ˈdɛn.təl/
- US /ˈdɛn.təl/
- US [ˈdɛnɾəɫ]
Dental 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-dental.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with dental?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as dental from its last stressed vowel (/ɛntəl/):
- environmental
- fundamental
- parental
- monumental
- supplemental
- ornamental
- departmental
- intercontinental
- judgemental
- consonantal
- labiodental
- tempermental
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of dental
- more dental comparative
- most dental superlative
- dentals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dental mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or concerning the teeth.
dental care
- 2
Of or concerning dentistry.
- 3
Articulated with the tip of the tongue touching the upper front teeth or with the blade of the tongue touching the alveolar ridge, so that the tip of the tongue rests near the teeth.
dental fricative
- 4
Articulated with the tip or blade of the tongue: coronal.
noun
- 1
Cleaning and polishing of an animal's teeth.
- 2
A dental sound.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dental in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dentaire , dental |
| German | Zahn- , dental , zahnärztlich , Zahnlaut, Dental |
| Portuguese | dental, dentário |
| Spanish | dental |
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 dental come from?
Borrowed from Middle French dental or Late Latin dentālis, from dēns (“a tooth”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).