valvular

/ˈvælvjʊlə(ɹ)/

//ˈvælvjʊlə(ɹ)// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"valvular" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“valvular” is uncommon English (frequency #92,208 among 969 “V” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,208
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to valves, such as those of the heart.

Corpus desk

Index EN-valvular · valvular · English

valvular · rank #92,208 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #92,208
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH Valencian

Nearest frequency peer: Valencian (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “valvular”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “valvular” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for valvular
PropertyValue
Headwordvalvular
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈvælvjʊlə(ɹ)/
Letters8
Frequency rank#92,208
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “valvular” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).valvularlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Valencian” (#92,207), “Valbuena” (#92,206), “vaginally” (#92,205). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

valvular is uncommon English at frequency #92,208 among 969 “V” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈvælvjʊlə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for valvular in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From New Latin valvularis (“valvular”), from valvula (“valvule, small valve”) + Latin āris (“-ar: forming adjectives”). The correct English form is valvular, spelled V-A-L-V-U-L-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to valves, such as those of the heart.
  2. 2
    Like a valve.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how valvular appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. It was Charles Sherrington (1857–1952) who named that valvular connection (later found to be a gap) the synapse.

Etymology

From New Latin valvularis (“valvular”), from valvula (“valvule, small valve”) + Latin āris (“-ar: forming adjectives”).

Synonyms

valvalvalvar

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "valvular"?
"valvular" is spelled V-A-L-V-U-L-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvælvjʊlə(ɹ)/.
What does "valvular" mean?
As an adjective, "valvular" means: Of or pertaining to valves, such as those of the heart.
How do you pronounce "valvular"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "valvular" is /ˈvælvjʊlə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "valvular"?
From New Latin valvularis (“valvular”), from valvula (“valvule, small valve”) + Latin āris (“-ar: forming adjectives”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "valvular", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Valbuena#92,206urologic#92,202unctuous#92,190trunking#92,180

What to do next

You've looked up "valvular". Here's where to go from here.

  • Usage frequency rank #92,208 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "V" letter cohort. V–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list