helical
/ˈhɛl.ɪ.kəl/adjective
helical is spelled H-E-L-I-C-A-L: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, helical means “In the shape of a helix” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in helical?
| Letters | 7: H-E-L-I-C-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,565th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is helical?
Helical appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th 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 helical?
- /ˈhɛl.ɪ.kəl/
- /ˈhiː.lɪ.kəl/
Helical 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-helical.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of helical
- more helical comparative
- most helical superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does helical mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
In the shape of a helix.
Near-synonym: spiral
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Helical in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in the shape of a helix:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hélicoïdal |
| German | spiralförmig, spiral-, spiralig, schraubend, schraubenförmig, helikal |
| Spanish | helicoidal |
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 helical come from?
By surface analysis, helic- + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).