ethical
eth·ic·al/ˈɛθɪkəl/adjective, noun
ethical is spelled E-T-H-I-C-A-L: 7 letters and 3 syllables (eth·ic·al). It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,347th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ethical means “Of or relating to the study of ethics” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ethical?
| Letters | 7: E-T-H-I-C-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: eth·ic·al |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,347th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is ethical?
Ethical appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,347th 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 ethical?
- /ˈɛθɪkəl/
- [ˈɛθɪkəl] ~ [ˈɛθɪkl̩]
Ethical has 3 syllables, split eth·ic·al in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-ethical.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ethical
- more ethical comparative
- most ethical superlative
- ethicals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ethical mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to the study of ethics.
The philosopher Kant is particularly known for his ethical writings.
- 2
Of or relating to the accepted principles of right and wrong, especially those of some organization or profession.
All employees must familiarize themselves with our ethical guidelines.
- 3
Morally approvable; good.
We are trying to decide what the most ethical course of action would be.
- 4
Only dispensed on the prescription of a physician.
In most jurisdictions, morphine is classified as an ethical drug.
noun
- 1
An ethical drug, one only dispensed on the prescription of a physician.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ethical in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of or relating to the study of ethics:
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 ethical come from?
From ethic + -al, from Late Latin ethicus (“moral, ethical”), from Ancient Greek ἠθικός (ēthikós, “of or for morals, moral, expressing character”), from ἦθος (êthos, “character, moral nature”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).