fraternal
/fɹəˈtɝnəl/adjective, noun
fraternal is spelled F-R-A-T-E-R-N-A-L: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, fraternal means “Of or pertaining to a brother or brothers” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fraternal?
| Letters | 9: F-R-A-T-E-R-N-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,420th 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 fraternal?
Fraternal appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th 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 fraternal?
- US /fɹəˈtɝnəl/
Fraternal has 3 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-fraternal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fraternal?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fraternal from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹnəl/):
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 fraternal
- more fraternal comparative
- most fraternal superlative
- fraternall
- fraternals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fraternal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to a brother or brothers.
- 2
Of or pertaining to a fraternity.
- 3
Platonic or friendly.
- 4
Of twins or embryos, produced from two different eggs and sperm, and genetically distinct.
noun
- 1
A society formed to provide mutual aid, such as insurance.
- 2
A fraternal twin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fraternal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fraternel , dizygote |
| German | brüderlich |
| Portuguese | fraterno, fraternal |
| Spanish | fraternal, fraterno , bivitelino |
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 fraternal come from?
Borrowed from Middle French fraternel, from Medieval Latin frāternālis (“fraternal”), from Latin frāternus (“of or pertaining to a brother, fraternal”), from frāter (“brother”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).