filial
fil·i·al/ˈfɪl.i.əl/adjective
filial is spelled F-I-L-I-A-L: 6 letters and 3 syllables (fil·i·al). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, filial means “Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in filial?
| Letters | 6: F-I-L-I-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: fil·i·al |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,767th 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 filial?
Filial appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th 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 filial?
- US /ˈfɪl.i.əl/
- US /ˈfɪl.jəl/
- US /ˈfi.li.əl/
Filial has 3 syllables, split fil·i·al in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-filial.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of filial
- more filial comparative
- most filial superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does filial mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter.
- 2
Respectful of the duties and attitudes of sons or daughters toward their parents.
- 3
Of a generation or generations descending from a specific previous one.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Filial in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense pertaining to a son or daughter:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | filial |
| German | söhnlich (sonly), töchterlich (daughterly), filial |
| Portuguese | filial |
| Spanish | filial |
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 filial come from?
From Middle English filial, from Latin fīliālis, from fīlius (“son”) / fīlia (“daughter”) + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).