toenail
/ˈtəʊˌneɪl/noun, verb
toenail is spelled T-O-E-N-A-I-L: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, toenail means “The thin, horny, transparent plate covering the upper surface of the end of a toe” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of toenail is toenails.
How many letters and syllables are in toenail?
| Letters | 7: T-O-E-N-A-I-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,633rd 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 toenail?
Toenail appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd 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 toenail?
- /ˈtəʊˌneɪl/
Toenail has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-toenail.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with toenail
Also written: toe-nail (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with toenail?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as toenail.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: elation.
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 toenail
- toenails plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- toe nail
- toe-nail
- toenailing participle, present
- toenailed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does toenail mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The thin, horny, transparent plate covering the upper surface of the end of a toe.
toenail clippings
verb
- 1
To fasten two pieces of lumber together by applying nails or screws into both boards at an angle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Toenail in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense the plate covering the end of a toe:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ongle de pied, ongle d'orteil |
| German | Zehennagel, Zehnagel, Fußnagel |
| Portuguese | unha do pé |
| Spanish | uña del dedo del pie, uña de dedo de pie, uña de pie, uña podal, uña de ortejo |
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 toenail come from?
From toe + nail.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).