ordinal

/ˈɔː.dɪ.nəl/

//ˈɔː.dɪ.nəl// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"ordinal" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ordinal” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,294. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,294
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Indicating position in a sequence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ordinal · ordinal · English

ordinal · rank #43,294 · 10 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,294
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ogilvy

Nearest frequency peer: Ogilvy (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ordinal”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ordinal” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ordinal vs original
75% similar
ordinal vs ordinary
75% similar
ordinal vs ordinate
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ordinal
PropertyValue
Headwordordinal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɔː.dɪ.nəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#43,294
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ordinal”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).ordinallands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Ogilvy” (#43,293), “oceanside” (#43,292), “outgrow” (#43,296). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “ordinal” is #43,294. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around ordinal (IPA /ˈɔː.dɪ.nəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #43,294 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for ordinal, with forms such as "odrinal", "orddinal", and "ordianl". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "original", "ordinary", "ordinate", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin ōrdinālis, adjective formed from noun ōrdō (“order”), + adjective suffix -ālis. The correct English form is ordinal, spelled O-R-D-I-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Indicating position in a sequence.
  2. 2
    Pertaining to a taxon at the rank of order.
  3. 3
    Intercardinal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how ordinal appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. "Three" is a cardinal number, while "third" is the corresponding ordinal number.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ōrdinālis, adjective formed from noun ōrdō (“order”), + adjective suffix -ālis.

This word in other languages

ordinal(Español)ordinal(Français)ordinal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • odrinal
  • orddinal
  • ordianl
  • ordinall
  • ordinla
  • ordinnal
  • ordnial
  • oridnal
  • orrdinal
  • rodinal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ordinal - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

odrinal2orddinal1ordianl2ordinall1ordinla2ordinnal1ordnial2oridnal2
Edit distance from "ordinal"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ordinal"?
"ordinal" is spelled O-R-D-I-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɔː.dɪ.nəl/.
What does "ordinal" mean?
As an adjective, "ordinal" means: Indicating position in a sequence.
What words are commonly confused with "ordinal"?
"ordinal" is commonly confused with "original", "ordinary", "ordinate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ordinal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ordinal" is /ˈɔː.dɪ.nəl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "ordinal"?
Borrowed from Latin ōrdinālis, adjective formed from noun ōrdō (“order”), + adjective suffix -ālis. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ordinal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

outgrow#43,296Pashtun#43,304piecing#43,311Natalya#43,275

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Mervyn10 variantslayover10 variantsKildare10 variantsKenmore10 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list