ornamental
/ˌɔɹ.nəˈmɛn.təl/adjective, noun
ornamental is spelled O-R-N-A-M-E-N-T-A-L: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ornamental means “Serving as an ornament; having no purpose other than to make more beautiful” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ornamental?
| Letters | 10: O-R-N-A-M-E-N-T-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,537th 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 ornamental?
Ornamental appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th 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 ornamental?
- UK /ˌɔː.nəˈmɛn.təl/
- US /ˌɔɹ.nəˈmɛn.təl/
Ornamental has 4 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ornamental.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ornamental?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ornamental from its last stressed vowel (/ɛntəl/):
- environmental
- fundamental
- dental
- parental
- monumental
- supplemental
- departmental
- intercontinental
- judgemental
- consonantal
- labiodental
- tempermental
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 ornamental
- more ornamental comparative
- most ornamental superlative
- ornamentals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ornamental mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Serving as an ornament; having no purpose other than to make more beautiful.
Some think it most ornamental to wear their bracelets on their wrists; others, about their ankles.
- 2
Bred for aesthetic or decorative purposes.
Those cranberry bushes are ornamental, so they're not edible.
noun
- 1
An ornamental plant.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ornamental in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ornemental , ornementale |
| German | Zier-, dekorativ , Zierpflanze |
| Portuguese | ornamental |
| Spanish | ornamental |
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 ornamental come from?
From ornament + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).