verbal

/ˈvɜː.bəl/

//ˈvɜː.bəl// adj

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

"verbal" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“verbal” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,225. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,225
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or relating to words.

Corpus desk

Index EN-verbal · verbal · English

verbal · rank #8,225 · 9 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,225
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH ur

Nearest frequency peer: ur (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “verbal”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “verbal” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

verbal vs viral
67% similar
verbal vs Verma
50% similar
verbal vs Verna
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for verbal
PropertyValue
Headwordverbal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈvɜː.bəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#8,225
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “verbal”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “ur” (#8,224), “violated” (#8,226), “turtle” (#8,223). Among 969 “V” headwords, “verbal” is #8,225. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around verbal (IPA /ˈvɜː.bəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,225 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for verbal, with forms such as "evrbal", "vebral", and "verabl". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "viral", "Verma", "Verna", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French verbal, from Late Latin verbālis (“belonging to a word”). Equivalent to verb + -al. The correct English form is verbal, spelled V-E-R-B-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to words.
  2. 2
    Concerned with the words, rather than the substance of a text.
  3. 3
    Consisting of words only.
  4. 4
    Expressly spoken rather than written; oral.
  5. 5
    Derived from, or having the nature of a verb.
  6. 6
    Used to form a verb.
  7. 7
    Capable of speech.
  8. 8
    Word for word.
  9. 9
    Abounding with words; verbose.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We subjoin an engraving […] which will give the reader a far better notion of the structure than any verbal description could convey to the mind.
  2. It was not a verbal remark, but a proceeding in dumb-show

Etymology

From Old French verbal, from Late Latin verbālis (“belonging to a word”). Equivalent to verb + -al.

Synonyms

lectic

Antonyms

impliedunsaid

This word in other languages

verbal(Español)verbal(Français)wörtlich(Deutsch)verbal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • evrbal
  • vebral
  • verabl
  • verball
  • verbbal
  • verbla
  • verrbal
  • vrebal
  • vverbal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of verbal - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

evrbal2vebral2verabl2verball1verbbal1verbla2verrbal1vrebal2
Edit distance from "verbal"

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 "verbal"?
"verbal" is spelled V-E-R-B-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɜː.bəl/.
What does "verbal" mean?
As an adjective, "verbal" means: Of or relating to words.
What words are commonly confused with "verbal"?
"verbal" is commonly confused with "viral", "Verma", "Verna". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "verbal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "verbal" is /ˈvɜː.bəl/. 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 "verbal"?
From Old French verbal, from Late Latin verbālis (“belonging to a word”). Equivalent to verb + -al. 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 "verbal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

turtle#8,223vocals#8,227thirds#8,218armies#8,237

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

sphere9 variantssmiles9 variantsblamed9 variantsRonald9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list