focal
/ˈfoʊ.kl̩/adjective, noun
focal is spelled F-O-C-A-L: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.7 times per million words in written English, the 11,685th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, focal means “Belonging to, concerning, or located at a focus (definite location)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in focal?
| Letters | 5: F-O-C-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.7 times per million words; the 11,685th 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 focal?
Focal appears 4.7 times per million words in written English, the 11,685th 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 focal?
- UK /ˈfəʊ.kl̩/
- US /ˈfoʊ.kl̩/
Focal has 2 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-focal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with focal?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as focal from its last stressed vowel (/oʊkl/):
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 focal
- focals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does focal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Belonging to, concerning, or located at a focus (definite location).
focal point
- 2
Belonging to, concerning, or located at a focus of attention.
focal point
- 3
Limited to a small area.
The rash was focal.
noun
- 1
obsoleteOne of two lines perpendicular to the axis of a cone such that the cosine of the angle between the line and the axis is equal to the ratio of the cosines o the semiangles of the cone.
- 2
An object that is used to focus concentration when performing magic.
- 3
The individual who is the focus of a study or review, when the study or review is based on that individual's interactions with others.
- 4
A representative of a group or class of people within an organizational system.
- 5
A sign or similar type of marketing material designed to draw attention to special deals.
- 6
The central or most important element of something; a focal element.
- 7
A major point of interest; an attraction.
- 8
An exemplar of a concept.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Focal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 focal come from?
Learned borrowing from New Latin focālis. By surface analysis, focus + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).