effectual
/iˈfɛkt͡ʃuəl/
"effectual" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“effectual” is uncommon English (frequency #63,585 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #63,585
- frequency rank, English
- 2,246
- “E” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Producing the intended result; entirely adequate.
Corpus desk
Index EN-effectual · effectual · English
effectual · rank #63,585 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #63,585
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,246
- PHOTO-FINISH EDSA
Nearest frequency peer: EDSA (-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 “effectual”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- Ebro
Ebro
36,420 corpus weight
- Edgware
Edgware
36,418 corpus weight
- EDSA
EDSA
36,417 corpus weight
- effectual
effectual
36,416 corpus weight
- eldritch
eldritch
36,413 corpus weight
- electroplat…
electroplating
36,412 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “effectual” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | effectual |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /iˈfɛkt͡ʃuəl/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #63,585 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “effectual” in English
Rare enough to double-check
effectual is uncommon English at frequency #63,585 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /iˈfɛkt͡ʃuəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Producing the intended result; entirely adequate.".
No misspelling variants are generated for effectual in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. 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 Middle English effectual, effectuel, from Old French effectuel, from Late Latin effectualis. The correct English form is effectual, spelled E-F-F-E-C-T-U-A-L.
Definition
- 1Producing the intended result; entirely adequate.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how effectual appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Redoubling, then, the active energy of his thrusts, favoured by the fervid appetite of my motions, the soft oiled wards can no longer stand so effectual a picklock, but yield, and open him an entrance.
In the living state, the body is observed to […] adopt most effectual measures for the permanent continuance of its species.
Etymology
From Middle English effectual, effectuel, from Old French effectuel, from Late Latin effectualis.
Antonyms
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "effectual", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).