pal
/pæl/noun, verb
pal is spelled P-A-L: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pal means “A friend, buddy, mate, cobber; someone to hang around with” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pal is pals.
How many letters and syllables are in pal?
| Letters | 3: P-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 9.8 times per million words; the 7,224th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 pal?
Pal appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th 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 pal?
- /pæl/
Pal has one syllable (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-pal.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-pal.wav, En-au-Pal.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with pal
Also written: paul.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with pal?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as pal.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: lap, alp.
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 pal
- pals plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- palling participle, present
- palled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
colloquialA friend, buddy, mate, cobber; someone to hang around with.
Little Timmy's out playing with his pals.
- 2
colloquialAn informal term of address, often used ironically in a hostile way.
Don't you threaten me, pal – I'll report you to the police.
- 3
Alternative form of paul (“kind of tent”).
verb
- 1
Synonym of pal around.
noun
- 1
Acronym of phase alternating/alternation/alternated line (TV standard).
- 2
Acronym of programmable array logic.
- 3
Initialism of phenylalanine ammonia lyase.
- 4
Acronym of permissive-action link.
- 5
Acronym of prisoner at large.
- 6
Acronym of peer-assisted learning.
- 7
Abbreviation of precautionary allergen labeling.
noun
- 1
informalslangPalestinian.
Saeb Erekat, who negotiates for Palestine, is one of the most famous Pals in the world.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does pal come from?
Borrowed from Angloromani pal (“brother, friend”), from Romani phral (“brother”), from Sanskrit भ्रातृ (bhrātṛ, “brother”). Doublet of bhai, brother, bru, frater, friar, and vai.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).