mental
/ˈmɛn.təl/adjective, noun
mental is spelled M-E-N-T-A-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 68 times per million words in written English, the 1,562nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, mental means “Occurring or experienced in the mind” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in mental?
| Letters | 6: M-E-N-T-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 68 times per million words; the 1,562nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 mental?
Mental appears 68 times per million words in written English, the 1,562nd 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 mental?
- /ˈmɛn.təl/
- [ˈmɛɾ̃əl]
- [ˈmɛnəl]
Mental has 2 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-mental.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with mental?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as mental.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mantle, lament, mantel, manlet.
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 mental
- more mental comparative
- most mental superlative
- mentals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mental mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Occurring or experienced in the mind.
- 2
Relating to the mind, its activity, or its products as an object of study.
mental science
- 3
Of or relating to intellectual as contrasted with emotional activity.
mental acuity
- 4
Of, relating to, or being intellectual as contrasted with overt physical activity.
- 5
Relating to spirit or idea as opposed to matter.
the distinction between physical things and mental ideas
- 6
Of, relating to, or affected by a psychiatric disorder.
a mental patient
- 7
Intended for the care or treatment of persons affected by psychiatric disorders.
mental hospitals
- 8
AustraliaCanadaIrelandUKcolloquialdatedMentally disordered; insane, mad, crazy.
He is the most mental freshman I've seen yet.
- 9
Of or relating to the chin or median part of the lower jaw, genial.
the mental nerve, the mental region
- 10
Of or relating to the chinlike or liplike structure.
noun
- 1
slangState of mind; ellipsis of mental state.
y'all need to fix your mentals
- 2
IndiaoffensiveA mentally challenged person.
- 3
A plate or scale covering the mentum or chin of a fish or reptile.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mental in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense relating to the mind:
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 mental come from?
Borrowing from Middle French mental, from Late Latin mentālis, from mēns (“mind, disposition; heart, soul”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).