jovial
jov·i·al/ˈd͡ʒoʊ.vɪ.əl/adjective
jovial is spelled J-O-V-I-A-L: 6 letters and 3 syllables (jov·i·al). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,832nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, jovial means “Cheerful and good-humoured; jolly, merry” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in jovial?
| Letters | 6: J-O-V-I-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: jov·i·al |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,832nd 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; 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 jovial?
Jovial appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,832nd 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 jovial?
- UK /ˈd͡ʒəʊ.vɪ.əl/
- US /ˈd͡ʒoʊ.vɪ.əl/
- /ˈd͡ʒoʊ.vəl/
Jovial has 3 syllables, split jov·i·al in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-jovial.ogg, En-au-jovial.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with jovial?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as jovial from its last stressed vowel (/oʊvɪəl/):
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 jovial
- more jovial comparative
- most jovial superlative
- joviall
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does jovial mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Cheerful and good-humoured; jolly, merry.
- 2
obsoletePertaining to the astrological influence of the planet Jupiter; having the characteristics of a person under such influence (see sense 1).
adjective
- 1
obsoletePertaining to the planet Jupiter; Jovian.
- 2
obsoletePertaining to the Roman god Jove or Jupiter (the counterpart of the Greek god Zeus), the god of the sky and thunder and the king of the gods; Jovian.
noun
- 1
An inhabitant of the planet Jupiter; a Jovian.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Jovial in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense cheerful and good-humoured – see also jolly, merry:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | jovial |
| German | jovial, fröhlich, heiter |
| Portuguese | jovial |
| Spanish | jovial, alegre, jacarandoso, risueño |
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 jovial come from?
First attested in 1590; borrowed from Middle French jovial (“under the influence of Jupiter; of Jove; jovial, jolly”), from Italian gioviale (“(now obsolete) born under the influence of the planet Jupiter”) (attested in Dante, Paradiso, canto XVIII, early 14th century), from Late Latin Ioviālis (“relating to the Roman god Jupiter”), from Iuppiter, Iovis (“the Roman god Jove or Jupiter, counterpart of the Greek god Zeus”) (from Proto-Indo-European *dyew- (“to be bright; heaven, sky”)) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship); analysable as Jove + -ial.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).