universal
uni·vers·al/ˌjunəˈvɜɹs(ə)l/adjective, noun
universal is spelled U-N-I-V-E-R-S-A-L, 3 syllables: uni·vers·al. The wrong spelling people search most is univeral: about 370 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 149 of all searches for the word. Universal is an adjective meaning “Of or pertaining to the universe”.
How many letters and syllables are in universal?
| Letters | 9: U-N-I-V-E-R-S-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: uni·vers·al |
| In writing | 31 times per million words; the 3,052nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, univeral, about 370 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
| Rhymes with |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How do you spell universal?
Universal is spelled U-N-I-V-E-R-S-A-L. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 150 of the searches for universal in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is universal?
Universal appears 31 times per million words in written English, the 3,052nd 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 universal?
- UK /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsl̩/
- US /ˌjunəˈvɜɹs(ə)l/
Universal has 3 syllables, split uni·vers·al in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-universal.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with universal?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as universal from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹsl/):
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 universal
- more universal comparative
- most universal superlative
- universals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does universal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to the universe.
- 2
Common to all members of a group or class.
- 3
Common to all society; worldwide, global.
She achieved universal fame.
- 4
Unlimited; vast; infinite.
- 5
Useful for many purposes; all-purpose.
universal wrench
noun
- 1
A characteristic or property that particular things have in common.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate universal?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of universal: U.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Universal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | universel |
| Portuguese | universal |
| Spanish | universal |
| German | allgemein, Allgemein-, universell , weltweit, Welt- , Universalie |
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 universal come from?
From Middle English universal, from Old French universal (modern French universel), from Latin ūniversālis, equivalent to universe + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).