# rational

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈɹæʃ(ə)nəl/ · frequency rank #6,511

## Definitions
1. Capable of reasoning.
2. Logically sound; not self-contradictory or otherwise absurd.
3. Healthy or balanced intellectually; exhibiting reasonableness.
4. Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio
5. Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio
6. Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio
7. Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio
8. Comprising, or expressible as, a ratio
9. synonymous replacement for "condensed" in condensed formula.

## Etymology
From Old French rationel, rational, from Latin rationalis (“of or belonging to reason, rational, reasonable; having a ratio”), from ratio (“reason; calculation”).

## Easily confused with
- **retinal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rational-vs-retinal)
- **regional** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rational-vs-regional)
- **rationale** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rational-vs-rationale)
- **relational** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rational-vs-relational)
- **rotational** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rational-vs-rotational)
- **rationally** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rational-vs-rationally)
- **ration** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ration-vs-rational)

## Common misspellings (11)
`artional`, `raitonal`, `ratinoal`, `ratioanl`, `rationall`, `rationla`, `rationnal`, `ratoinal`, `rattional`, `rrational`, `rtaional`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rational