missal

/ˈmɪsəl/

//ˈmɪsəl// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"missal" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“missal” is uncommon English (frequency #59,554 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,554
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A prayer book; a church service (book).

Corpus desk

Index EN-missal · missal · English

missal · rank #59,554 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,554
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mlle

Nearest frequency peer: Mlle (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “missal”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “missal” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for missal
PropertyValue
Headwordmissal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɪsəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#59,554
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “missal” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).missalfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Mlle” (#59,555), “mna” (#59,556), “mola” (#59,557). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “missal” is #59,554. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

missal is uncommon English at frequency #59,554 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmɪsəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for missal in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French messel (“book of the Mass”). The correct English form is missal, spelled M-I-S-S-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A prayer book; a church service (book).
  2. 2
    A prayer book; a church service (book).

Etymology

From Old French messel (“book of the Mass”).

This word in other languages

misal(Español)missel(Français)Missal(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "missal"?
"missal" is spelled M-I-S-S-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɪsəl/.
What does "missal" mean?
As a noun, "missal" means: A prayer book; a church service (book).
How do you pronounce "missal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "missal" is /ˈmɪsəl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "missal"?
From Old French messel (“book of the Mass”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "missal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Morgen#59,563McCool#59,537Naveen#59,573Matsui#59,532

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list