venial
/ˈviːni.əl/
"venial" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“venial” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Able to be forgiven; worthy of forgiveness.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | venial |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈviːni.əl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “venial” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for venial is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈviːni.əl/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Zero misspellings are on record for venial in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French venial, borrowed from Late Latin veniālem (“pardonable”), from Latin venia (“forgiveness”). The correct English form is venial, spelled V-E-N-I-A-L.
Definition
- 1Able to be forgiven; worthy of forgiveness.
- 2Able to be forgiven; worthy of forgiveness.
- 3Not causing spiritual death.
Etymology
From Old French venial, borrowed from Late Latin veniālem (“pardonable”), from Latin venia (“forgiveness”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "venial"?
What does "venial" mean?
How do you pronounce "venial"?
What is the origin of the word "venial"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “venial”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is V-E-N-I-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈviːni.əl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.