positional

adj

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

"positional" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“positional” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,044. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,044
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Relating to the position of something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-positional · positional · English

positional · rank #29,044 · 14 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,044
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH portage

Nearest frequency peer: portage (-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 “positional”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “positional” 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).

positional vs positions
80% similar
positional vs positioned
80% similar
positional vs position
80% similar

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

Key facts for positional
PropertyValue
Headwordpositional
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters10
Frequency rank#29,044
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “positional”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).positionallands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “portage” (#29,043), “postcode” (#29,045), “Pompey” (#29,042). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “positional” is #29,044. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around positional, anadjective. Corpus frequency is #29,044 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for positional, with forms such as "opsitional", "poistional", and "posiitonal". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "positions", "positioned", "position", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From position + -al. The correct English form is positional, spelled P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relating to the position of something.
  2. 2
    Having or pertaining to a value that is a function of its social desirability, as opposed to its utility.
  3. 3
    Based on long-term strategy, on gaining and exploiting small advantages, and on analyzing the larger position, rather than calculating more immediate tactics.
  4. 4
    An argument that is passed to a subroutine according to its position in the invocation code, rather than on its name; compare with named.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The mattress platform on Davey’s bed fell unexpectedly, “trapping her neck against the upper surface of the side panel of the bed’s base,” Chipperfield explained. “Unable to free herself, she died of positional asphyxia. One of the two gas-lift pistons was defective.”
  2. Of course, this ex post problem may have a negative feedback on the ex ante desirability of having market transactions for positional goods.

Etymology

From position + -al.

Synonyms

locational

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opsitional
  • poistional
  • posiitonal
  • positinoal
  • positioanl
  • positionall
  • positionla
  • positionnal
  • positoinal
  • posittional
  • possitional
  • postiional
  • ppositional
  • psoitional

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of positional - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

opsitional2poistional2posiitonal2positinoal2positioanl2positionall1positionla2positionnal1
Edit distance from "positional"

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 "positional"?
"positional" is spelled P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N-A-L.
What does "positional" mean?
As an adjective, "positional" means: Relating to the position of something.
What words are commonly confused with "positional"?
"positional" is commonly confused with "positions", "positioned", "position". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "positional"?
From position + -al. 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 "positional", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

predicated#29,046racecourse#29,054rebounding#29,057regimental#29,059

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

reflector14 variantsnucleotide14 variantstelemetry14 variantstheologian14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list