modal verb
"modal-verb" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“modal verb” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A verb whose primary function is to express grammatical mood.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | modal verb |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “modal verb” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for modal verb is 10 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A verb whose primary function is to express grammatical mood.".
modal verb has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is modal verb, spelled M-O-D-A-L- -V-E-R-B.
Definition
- 1A verb whose primary function is to express grammatical mood.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “modal verb”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-O-D-A-L- -V-E-R-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.