# modal

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈməʊdəl/ · frequency rank #24,521

## Definitions
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. 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.
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.
9. Relating to the form of a thing rather to any of its attributes.

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **mol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-mol)
- **mode** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-mode)
- **Modi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-modi)
- **mona** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-mona)
- **mods** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-mods)
- **mora** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-mora)
- **moya** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-moya)
- **moll** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-moll)
- **muda** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-muda)
- **model** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-model)
- **moral** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-moral)
- **motel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-motel)
- **mural** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-mural)
- **Moran** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-moran)
- **modem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-modem)
- **Mosul** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-mosul)
- **Mogul** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-mogul)
- **moray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-moray)
- **molar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-molar)
- **Mohan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/modal-vs-mohan)

## Common misspellings (7)
`mdoal`, `mmodal`, `moadl`, `modall`, `moddal`, `modla`, `omdal`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/modal