palatal
pal·a·tal/ˈpælətl̩/adjective, noun
palatal is spelled P-A-L-A-T-A-L: 7 letters and 3 syllables (pal·a·tal). It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,838th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, palatal means “Pertaining to the palate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in palatal?
| Letters | 7: P-A-L-A-T-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: pal·a·tal |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 60,838th 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 palatal?
Palatal appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,838th 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 palatal?
- UK /ˈpælətl̩/
- UK /pəˈleɪtl̩/
- US /ˈpælətl̩/
Palatal has 3 syllables, split pal·a·tal in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-palatal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of palatal
- more palatal comparative
- most palatal superlative
- palatals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does palatal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Pertaining to the palate.
- 2
Of an upper tooth, on the side facing the palate.
- 3
Articulated at the hard palate.
- 4
Articulated at the palate: dorsal.
noun
- 1
A palatal consonant.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Palatal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | palatal |
| German | palatal , Vordergaumenlaut, Palatal |
| Portuguese | palatal, palatino |
| Spanish | palatal, paladial |
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 palatal come from?
From palate + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).