sternal

\stɛʁ.nal\

/\stɛʁ.nal\/ adj

The verdict

“sternal” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Qui s'articule avec le sternum, en parlant des côtes.

Corpus desk

Index FR-sternal · sternal · French

sternal · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for sternal
PropertyValue
Headwordsternal
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\stɛʁ.nal\
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « sternal » en français

sternalreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sternal is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \stɛʁ.nal\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for sternal, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is sternal, spelled S-T-E-R-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui s'articule avec le sternum, en parlant des côtes.
  2. 2
    Qui concerne le sternum.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Le patient doit rester allongé : pour la ponction sternale, sur le dos, à plat ; pour l’os iliaque postérieur du bassin, sur le côté.

Antonyms

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 "sternal"?
"sternal" is spelled S-T-E-R-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is \stɛʁ.nal\.
What does "sternal" mean?
As an adjective, "sternal" means: Qui s'articule avec le sternum, en parlant des côtes.
How do you pronounce "sternal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sternal" is \stɛʁ.nal\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sternal" come from?
"sternal" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list