mechanical
/məˈkænəkəl/adjective, noun
mechanical is spelled M-E-C-H-A-N-I-C-A-L: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,076th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, mechanical means “Related to mechanics (the branch of physics that deals with forces acting on matter)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in mechanical?
| Letters | 10: M-E-C-H-A-N-I-C-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 21 times per million words; the 4,076th 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 mechanical?
Mechanical appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,076th 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 mechanical?
- UK /məˈkænɪkəl/
- US /məˈkænəkəl/
Mechanical 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: En-us-mechanical.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with mechanical?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as mechanical from its last stressed vowel (/ænəkəl/):
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 mechanical
- more mechanical comparative
- most mechanical superlative
- mechanicals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mechanical mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
archaicCharacteristic of someone who does manual labour for a living; coarse, vulgar.
- 2
Related to mechanics (the branch of physics that deals with forces acting on matter).
mechanical engineering
- 3
Related to mechanics (the design and construction of machines).
mechanical dictionary
- 4
Done by machine.
mechanical task
- 5
Using mechanics (the design and construction of machines): being a machine.
mechanical arm
- 6
As if performed by a machine: lifeless, mindless, thoughtless, automatic.
a mechanical reply to a question
- 7
Acting as if one were a machine: lifeless or mindless.
The pianist was too mechanical.
- 8
informalHandy with machines.
Why don't you ask Joe to fix it? He's very mechanical.
noun
- 1
Manually created layout of artwork that is camera ready for photographic reproduction.
- 2
One who does manual labor, especially one who is similar to Shakespeare's rude mechanicals.
- 3
A robot or mechanical creature.
- 4
A mechanical engineer.
- 5
An instance of equipment failure.
- 6
A stop on an organ that is operated by a hand or foot control rather than having to be manually set up in advance.
- 7
archaicA machine that performs a job typically accomplished using an animal or manual labor.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate mechanical?
Wiktionary records 3 abbreviations of mechanical: Mech., mech, mech..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mechanical in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mécanique , machinal |
| German | mechanisch |
| Portuguese | mecânico |
| Spanish | mecánico |
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.