emotional
/ɪˈmoʊʃənəl/adjective, noun
emotional is spelled E-M-O-T-I-O-N-A-L: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 46 times per million words in written English, the 2,204th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, emotional means “Of or relating to the emotions” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in emotional?
| Letters | 9: E-M-O-T-I-O-N-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 46 times per million words; the 2,204th 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 emotional?
Emotional appears 46 times per million words in written English, the 2,204th 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 emotional?
- UK /ɪˈməʊʃənəl/
- UK /ɪˈməʊʃnəl/
- US /ɪˈmoʊʃənəl/
Emotional has 4 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-emotional.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with emotional?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as emotional from its last stressed vowel (/oʊʃənəl/):
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 emotional
- more emotional comparative
- most emotional superlative
- emotionals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does emotional mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to the emotions.
emotional crisis
- 2
Characterized by emotion.
- 3
Determined by strong emotion rather than purely logical reasoning.
emotional decision
- 4
Appealing to or arousing emotion.
emotional speech
- 5
Easily affected by emotion.
She’s an emotional person.
- 6
Readily displaying emotion.
emotional greeting
- 7
Overwhelmed by mixed emotions, moved, almost tearful.
She became emotional hearing about the passing of her mother.
noun
- 1
An emotional person
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate emotional?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of emotional: ESP.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Emotional in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | émotionnel , émotif |
| German | emotional |
| Portuguese | emocional, emotivo , emocionado |
| Spanish | emocional , emotivo |
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 emotional come from?
From emotion + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).