tonal
/ˈtoʊnəl/adjective, noun
tonal is spelled T-O-N-A-L: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, tonal means “Of or relating to tones or tonality” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tonal?
| Letters | 5: T-O-N-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 25,751st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 tonal?
Tonal appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st 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 tonal?
- US /ˈtoʊnəl/
- UK /ˈtəʊnəl/
Tonal 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-tonal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tonal?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as tonal from its last stressed vowel (/oʊnəl/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: talon.
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 tonal
- more tonal comparative
- most tonal superlative
- tonals plural
- tona
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tonal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to tones or tonality.
- 2
Of or relating to the general character, mood, or trend of something.
- 3
Employing tones that have a predictable relationship to some tonic.
- 4
Employing differences in pitch (tones) to distinguish differences in the meaning of otherwise similar words (words which would otherwise be homophonic).
noun
- 1
An animal companion which accompanies a person from birth to death.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tonal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of or relating to tones or tonality:
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 tonal come from?
From tone + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).