ironical
/aɪˈɹɑnɪkəl/adjective
ironical is spelled I-R-O-N-I-C-A-L: 8 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 83,271st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ironical means “Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ironical?
| Letters | 8: I-R-O-N-I-C-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 83,271st 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 ironical?
Ironical appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 83,271st 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 ironical?
- UK /aɪˈɹɒnɪkəl/
- US /aɪˈɹɑnɪkəl/
Ironical has 4 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-ironical.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ironical?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ironical from its last stressed vowel (/ɑnɪkəl/):
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 ironical
- more ironical comparative
- most ironical superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ironical mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.
- 2
Given to the use of irony; sarcastic.
- 3
obsoleteFeigning ignorance; simulating lack of instruction or knowledge; exhibiting Socratic irony.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ironical in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | ironisch |
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 ironical come from?
From ironic + -al. Attested since the 1570s.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).