tropical
/ˈtɹɑ.pɪ.kəl/adjective, noun
tropical is spelled T-R-O-P-I-C-A-L: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,309th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, tropical means “Of or pertaining to the tropics, the equatorial region between 23 degrees north and 23 degrees south” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tropical?
| Letters | 8: T-R-O-P-I-C-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 15 times per million words; the 5,309th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 tropical?
Tropical appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,309th 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 tropical?
- UK /ˈtɹɒp.ɪ.kəl/
- US /ˈtɹɑ.pɪ.kəl/
- Canada /ˈtɹɒp.ɪ.kəl/
Tropical 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)-Back_ache-tropical.wav, En-us-tropical.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tropical?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as tropical from its last stressed vowel (/ɑpɪkəl/):
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 tropical
- more tropical comparative
- most tropical superlative
- trop.
- tropicals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tropical mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to the tropics, the equatorial region between 23 degrees north and 23 degrees south.
- 2
From, or similar to, a hot, humid climate.
We've had a lot of tropical nights this summer.
- 3
datedPertaining to, involving, or of the nature of a trope or tropes; figurative, metaphorical.
- 4
Pertaining to tropical geometry.
noun
- 1
A tropical plant.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate tropical?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of tropical: trop..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tropical in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of or pertaining to the tropics:
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 tropical come from?
From tropic + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).