postdoctoral
post·doc·tor·al/pəʊs(t)ˈdɒkt(ə)r(ə)l/adjective, noun
postdoctoral is spelled P-O-S-T-D-O-C-T-O-R-A-L: 12 letters and 4 syllables (post·doc·tor·al). It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,463rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, postdoctoral means “After receiving a doctorate; especially of academic research or study beyond the level of a doctoral degree” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in postdoctoral?
| Letters | 12: P-O-S-T-D-O-C-T-O-R-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: post·doc·tor·al |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 24,463rd 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 postdoctoral?
Postdoctoral appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,463rd 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 postdoctoral?
- UK /pəʊs(t)ˈdɒkt(ə)r(ə)l/
Postdoctoral has 4 syllables, split post·doc·tor·al in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of postdoctoral
- postdoctorals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does postdoctoral mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
After receiving a doctorate; especially of academic research or study beyond the level of a doctoral degree.
noun
- 1
Synonym of postdoc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Postdoctoral in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense after receiving a doctorate:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | postdoctoral |
| German | Postdoc- |
| Portuguese | pós-doutoral |
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 postdoctoral come from?
From post- + doctoral.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).