modal
/ˈmoʊdəl/adjective, noun
modal is spelled M-O-D-A-L: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,463rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, modal means “Of, or relating to a mode or modus” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in modal?
| Letters | 5: M-O-D-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 24,463rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 modal?
Modal appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,463rd 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 modal?
- UK /ˈməʊdəl/
- US /ˈmoʊdəl/
- Australia /ˈməʉdəl/
Modal 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-modal.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-modal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with modal?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as modal from its last stressed vowel (/oʊdəl/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: dolma.
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 modal
- more modal comparative
- most modal superlative
- modals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does modal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of, or relating to a mode or modus.
- 2
Of, relating to, or describing the mood of a clause.
- 3
Of, relating to, or composed in the musical modi by which an octave is divided, associated with emotional moods in Ancient – and in medieval ecclesiastical – music.
- 4
In a mode which is not major or minor scale, the standard modes used in the Western musical tradition.
- 5
Of, or relating to the modality between propositions.
- 6
Relating to the statistical mode.
- 7
Having separate modes in which user input has different effects.
- 8
Requiring immediate user interaction and thus presented so that it cannot be closed or interacted behind until a decision is made.
a modal dialog; a modal window
noun
- 1
A modal (etymology 1, adjective sense 4) proposition.
- 2
A modal (etymology 1, adjective sense 2) form, notably a modal auxiliary.
- 3
A modal verb.
- 4
A modal (etymology 1, adjective sense 7) window, one that cannot be closed until a decision is made.
- 5
A semi-synthetic fabric, a very soft kind of rayon textile made from beech tree pulp and processed with chemicals.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Modal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 modal come from?
From Middle French modal, from Medieval Latin modālis (“pertaining to a mode”), from Latin modus (“mode”). Compare to French, Spanish, and Portuguese modal and Italian modale. By surface analysis, mod(e) + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).