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PlainSpell

virtual

vir·tu·al/ˈvɜɹt͡ʃuəl/adjective, noun

virtual is spelled V-I-R-T-U-A-L, 3 syllables: vir·tu·al. The wrong spelling people search most is virutal: about 80 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 152 of all searches for the word. Virtual is an adjective meaning “In effect or essence, rather than in fact or reality; also, imitated, simulated”.

How many letters and syllables are in virtual?

Letters7: V-I-R-T-U-A-L
Syllables3: vir·tu·al
In writing21 times per million words; the 4,153rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searched1; the most searched, virutal, about 80 Bing searches a month (all of them)

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).

How do you spell virtual?

Virtual is spelled V-I-R-T-U-A-L. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 152 of the searches for virtual in either form.

virtualthe right spelling12,040 searches a month
virutalt and u swapped80 searches a month

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 virtual?

Virtual appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,153rd 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 virtual?

  • UK /ˈvɜːt͡ʃʊəl/
  • UK /ˈvɜːt͡ʃ(ʊ)l/
  • US /ˈvɜɹt͡ʃuəl/

Virtual has 3 syllables, split vir·tu·al in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-virtual.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of virtual

  • vertual
  • virtuall
  • vertuall
  • virtuals plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does virtual mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    In effect or essence, rather than in fact or reality; also, imitated, simulated.

    In fact a defeat on the battlefield, Tet was a virtual victory for the North, owing to its effect on public opinion.

  2. 2

    For practical purposes, though not technically; almost complete, very near.

    The angry peasants were a virtual army as they attacked the castle.

  3. 3

    Operating using a computer and/or online rather than physically present.

    a virtual assistant    a virtual personal trainer

  4. 4

    Simulated in a computer and/or online.

    virtual machine    virtual memory    virtual private network

  5. 5

    Of a class member: capable of being overridden with a different implementation in a subclass.

  6. 6

    Pertaining to a theoretical infinitesimal velocity in a mechanical system that does not violate the system's constraints; also, of other physical quantities: resulting from such a velocity.

    virtual displacement    virtual work

  7. 7

    Pertaining to a theoretical quality of something which would produce an observable effect if counteracting factors such as friction are disregarded; specifically, of a head of water: producing a certain pressure if friction, etc., is disregarded.

  8. 8

    Chiefly in virtual focus: of a focus or point: from which light or other radiation apparently emanates; also, of an image: produced by light that appears to diverge from a point beyond the reflecting or refracting surface.

noun

  1. 1

    Preceded by the: that which is imitated or simulated rather than existing in fact or reality; (countable) an instance of this.

  2. 2

    That which is simulated in a computer and/or online; virtual reality; (countable) an instance of this; specifically (gambling), a computer simulation of a real-world sport such as horse racing.

  3. 3

    A virtual (adjective sense 3.3) member function of a class.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Virtual in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchvirtuel (in effect or essence, rather than in fact or…), pratiquement (for practical purposes, though not technically)
Germanvirtuell, eigentlich (in effect or essence, rather than in fact or…), fast, praktisch wie (for practical purposes, though not technically), computersimuliert (simulated in a computer and/or online)
Portuguesevirtual (in effect or essence, rather than in fact or…)
Spanishvirtual (in effect or essence, rather than in fact or…)

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.

What to look up after virtual