octal
/ˈɒk.təl/noun, adjective
octal is spelled O-C-T-A-L: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 81,375th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, octal means “The number system that uses the eight digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of octal is octals.
How many letters and syllables are in octal?
| Letters | 5: O-C-T-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 81,375th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is octal?
Octal appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 81,375th 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 octal?
- UK /ˈɒk.təl/
Octal has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Neøn-octal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of octal
- octals plural
- oct
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does octal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The number system that uses the eight digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
- 2
A digit or value in the octal number system.
adjective
- 1
Concerning numbers expressed in octal or mathematical calculations performed using octal.
- 2
Being or relating to a kind of tube socket base having eight pins.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate octal?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of octal: oct.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Octal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense concerning numbers expressed in octal or mathematics calculations performed usin:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Oktal-, Achter-, oktal |
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 octal come from?
From oct- + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).