topical
/ˈtɑ.pɪ.kəl/adjective, noun
topical is spelled T-O-P-I-C-A-L: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, topical means “Relating to a particular topic or subject” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in topical?
| Letters | 7: T-O-P-I-C-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,005th 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 topical?
Topical appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th 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 topical?
- UK /ˈtɒp.ɪ.kəl/
- US /ˈtɑ.pɪ.kəl/
Topical has 3 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-topical.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-topical.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Simplificationalizer-topical.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with topical?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as topical from its last stressed vowel (/ɑpɪkəl/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: optical, capitol.
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 topical
- more topical comparative
- most topical superlative
- topicals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does topical mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Relating to a particular topic or subject.
The book is divided into topical chapters.
- 2
Relating to a topic or subject of current interest.
Fair trade has become quite a topical issue.
- 3
Local to a particular place.
- 4
Applied to a localized part of the body.
- 5
Applied externally (to the surface of the skin or eye).
- 6
Arranged according to topic or theme; thematic.
noun
- 1
A substance, especially a medication, applied externally (to the surface of the skin or eye).
- 2
A topical anaesthetic.
- 3
A joke dealing with current events or topical subjects.
- 4
A postage stamp depicting a particular theme or subject (such as birds or trains), potentially sought out by topical stamp collectors.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Topical in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | themenbezogen, thematisch , aktuell, gegenwartsbezogen, zeitgemäß, gegenwartsnah |
| Spanish | tópico, temático , de interés actual, de actualidad |
| French | d'actualité , local , topique |
| Portuguese | tópico |
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 topical come from?
From topic + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).