rectal
rec·tal/ˈrɛk.təl/adjective, noun
rectal is spelled R-E-C-T-A-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables (rec·tal). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, rectal means “Of, via or related to the rectum” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in rectal?
| Letters | 6: R-E-C-T-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: rec·tal |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,798th 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; 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 rectal?
Rectal appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,798th 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 rectal?
- /ˈrɛk.təl/
Rectal has 2 syllables, split rec·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-rectal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with rectal?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as rectal.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: cartel, claret.
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 rectal
- rectals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rectal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of, via or related to the rectum.
The customs inspector subjected him to a rectal exam.
noun
- 1
informalEllipsis of rectal examination.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rectal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of, via or related to the rectum:
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 rectal come from?
From rectum + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).