venal

[bəˈnal]

/[bəˈnal]/ adj

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Vénal (qui s’achète aisément).

Corpus desk

Index FR-venal · venal · French

venal · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "V" 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 venal
PropertyValue
Headwordvenal
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[bəˈnal]
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « venal » en français

venalsiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

venal is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed [bəˈnal]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Vénal (qui s’achète aisément).".

venal has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is venal, spelled V-E-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vénal (qui s’achète aisément).

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 "venal"?
"venal" is spelled V-E-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is [bəˈnal].
What does "venal" mean?
As an adjective, "venal" means: Vénal (qui s’achète aisément).
How do you pronounce "venal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "venal" is [bəˈnal]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "venal" come from?
"venal" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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