nocturnal
/nɑkˈtɝ.nəl/adjective, noun
nocturnal is spelled N-O-C-T-U-R-N-A-L: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, nocturnal means “Of a person, creature, group, or species, primarily active during the night” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in nocturnal?
| Letters | 9: N-O-C-T-U-R-N-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 nocturnal?
Nocturnal appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th 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 nocturnal?
- UK /nɒkˈtɜː.nəl/
- US /nɑkˈtɝ.nəl/
- Canada /nɒkˈtɝ.nəl/
Nocturnal has 3 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-nocturnal.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Simplificationalizer-nocturnal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with nocturnal?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as nocturnal from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹnəl/):
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 nocturnal
- more nocturnal comparative
- most nocturnal superlative
- nocturnals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nocturnal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of a person, creature, group, or species, primarily active during the night.
nocturnal birds
- 2
Of an occurrence, taking place at night, nightly.
a suspicious nocturnal outing
noun
- 1
A person or creature that is active at night.
- 2
A device for telling the time at night, rather like a sundial but read according to the stars.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nocturnal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | nocturne |
| German | nachtaktiv , nächtlich |
| Portuguese | noturno |
| Spanish | nocturno, noctámbulo, trasnochador, noctívago, nocherniego, nocheriego |
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 nocturnal come from?
From Middle French nocturnal, from Latin nocturnālis (“nocturnal”), from Latin nocturnus (“nocturnal”), from Latin nox (“night”), from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts (“night”). Cognates include Ancient Greek νύξ (núx), Sanskrit नक्ति (nákti), Old English niht (English night) and Proto-Slavic *noťь.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).