ritual
ri·tu·al/ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.u.əl/adjective, noun
ritual is spelled R-I-T-U-A-L: 6 letters and 3 syllables (ri·tu·al). It appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 6,884th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ritual means “Related to a rite or repeated set of actions” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ritual?
| Letters | 6: R-I-T-U-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: ri·tu·al |
| In writing | 10 times per million words; the 6,884th 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 ritual?
Ritual appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 6,884th 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 ritual?
- US /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.u.əl/
Ritual has 3 syllables, split ri·tu·al in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-ritual.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ritual?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as ritual (/ɪtʃuəl/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: litura.
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 ritual
- more ritual comparative
- most ritual superlative
- rituals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ritual mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Related to a rite or repeated set of actions.
They performed the ritual lighting of the candles.
noun
- 1
A rite; a repeated set of actions, especially in religious contexts (that is, a service).
The priests carried out the religious ritual carefully.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ritual in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rituel |
| German | rituell , Ritual |
| Portuguese | ritual, ritualístico , rito |
| Spanish | ritual |
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 ritual come from?
From Latin rītuālis (adjective), from rītus (“rite”) + -ālis. Displaced native Old English ġewuna and wuna.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).