viral
/ˈvaɪɹəl/adjective, noun
viral is spelled V-I-R-A-L: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, viral means “Of or relating to a biological virus” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in viral?
| Letters | 5: V-I-R-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,230th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 viral?
Viral appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th 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 viral?
- /ˈvaɪɹəl/
Viral has 2 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)-Vealhurl-viral.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with viral?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as viral.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: rival.
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 viral
- virals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does viral mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to a biological virus.
viral DNA
- 2
Caused by a virus.
viral infection
- 3
Of the nature of an informatic virus; able to spread copies of itself to other computers.
- 4
Spread by word of mouth with minimal intervention, in order to create buzz and interest.
- 5
Circulated rapidly and widely from one user to another.
noun
- 1
A video, image or text spread by "word of mouth" on the internet or by e-mail for humorous, political or marketing purposes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Viral in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Virus- , viral , virusartig , wie ein Lauffeuer |
| Portuguese | viral |
| Spanish | viral, vírico |
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 viral come from?
From virus + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).