ordeal
or·deal/ɔɹˈdil/noun
ordeal is spelled O-R-D-E-A-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables (or·deal). It appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,613th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ordeal means “A trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test (such as ducking in water), divine authority deciding the guilt of the accused” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ordeal is ordeals.
How many letters and syllables are in ordeal?
| Letters | 6: O-R-D-E-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: or·deal |
| In writing | 3.0 times per million words; the 15,613th 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; 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 ordeal?
Ordeal appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,613th 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 ordeal?
- UK /ɔːˈdiːl/
- US /ɔɹˈdil/
Ordeal has 2 syllables, split or·deal in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ordeal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ordeal?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ordeal from its last stressed vowel (/il/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: reload, loader.
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 ordeal
- ordeals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ordeal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test (such as ducking in water), divine authority deciding the guilt of the accused.
trial by ordeal
- 2
A painful or trying experience.
- 3
The poisonous ordeal bean or Calabar bean.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ordeal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ordalie , épreuve, calvaire |
| German | Gottesurteil, Feuerprobe , Tortur |
| Portuguese | ordália , calvário, provação, via-crúcis, martírio, tormento |
| Spanish | prueba del fuego, ordalía , calvario, suplicio |
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 ordeal come from?
From Middle English ordel, ordal, from Medieval Latin ordālium or inherited from its source Old English ordēl, ordāl (“ordeal, judgement”), from Proto-West Germanic *uʀdailī (“judgement”, literally “an out-dealing”), from *uʀdailijan (“to deal out; dispense”). For more, see Old English or-, English deal.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).