eternal

/ɪˈtɜː.nl̩/

//ɪˈtɜː.nl̩// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"eternal" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“eternal” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,964. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,964
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lasting forever; unending.

Corpus desk

Index EN-eternal · eternal · English

eternal · rank #5,964 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,964
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH establishing

Nearest frequency peer: establishing (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “eternal”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “eternal” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

eternal vs external
88% similar
eternal vs ethereal
75% similar
eternal vs eternally
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for eternal
PropertyValue
Headwordeternal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪˈtɜː.nl̩/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,964
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “eternal”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).eternallands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “establishing” (#5,963), “freeze” (#5,965), “est” (#5,962). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “eternal” is #5,964. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around eternal (IPA /ɪˈtɜː.nl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,964 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for eternal, with forms such as "eetrnal", "etenral", and "eteranl". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "external", "ethereal", "eternally", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English eternal, from Old French eternal, from Late Latin aeternālis, from Latin aeternus (“eternal”), from aevum (“age”). Displaced native Old English ēċe. The correct English form is eternal, spelled E-T-E-R-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lasting forever; unending.
  2. 2
    Existing outside time; as opposed to sempiternal, existing within time but everlastingly.
  3. 3
    Constant; perpetual; ceaseless; ever-present.
  4. 4
    Exceedingly great or bad; used as an intensifier.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But here again it is another question, quite different from our having an idea of eternity, to know whether there were any real being, whose duration has been eternal.
  2. Thy smoking altar shall be fat with food / Of incense and the grateful steam of blood; / Burnt-offerings morn and evening shall be thine, / And fires eternal in thy temple shine.

Etymology

From Middle English eternal, from Old French eternal, from Late Latin aeternālis, from Latin aeternus (“eternal”), from aevum (“age”). Displaced native Old English ēċe.

Synonyms

agefulagelongamaranthineendlessenduringeternaleterneeverduringevergreeneverlastingeviternalforeverimperishableindesinentlastingnever-endingperennialpermanentperpetualperpetuatepersistentsempiternaltimelessunendingundeadlyundying

Antonyms

ephemeralfleetingimpermanentmortalmomentarytemporarytransientunperpetualunperpetuated

This word in other languages

eterno(Español)éternel(Français)ewig(Deutsch)eterno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eetrnal
  • etenral
  • eteranl
  • eternall
  • eternla
  • eternnal
  • eterrnal
  • etrenal
  • etternal
  • teernal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of eternal - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

eetrnal2etenral2eteranl2eternall1eternla2eternnal1eterrnal1etrenal2
Edit distance from "eternal"

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 "eternal"?
"eternal" is spelled E-T-E-R-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈtɜː.nl̩/.
What does "eternal" mean?
As an adjective, "eternal" means: Lasting forever; unending.
What words are commonly confused with "eternal"?
"eternal" is commonly confused with "external", "ethereal", "eternally". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "eternal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eternal" is /ɪˈtɜː.nl̩/. 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 "eternal"?
From Middle English eternal, from Old French eternal, from Late Latin aeternālis, from Latin aeternus (“eternal”), from aevum (“age”). Displaced native Old English ēċe. 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 "eternal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

generic#5,966grandma#5,967enabled#5,960handful#5,969

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

hybrid10 variantsminimal10 variantsclosure10 variantsnearest10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list