Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

optimal

/ˈɑptɪməl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.94 in modern English

Syllables
op-ti-mal
IPA
/ˈɑptɪməl/
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

The best, most favourable or desirable, especially under some restriction.

noun

The best of its kind

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épi Proto-Indo-European *-tm̥mos ? Latin optimus English -al English optimal From Latin optimus (“best”) + English -al.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɑptɪməl/
  • British English: /ˈɒptɪməl/

Inflected Forms

optimals (plural)

Derived Forms

infraoptimal inoptimal nonoptimal optimalise optimalism optimality optimally suboptimal superoptimal supraoptimal

Phrases

degree-optimal Pareto-optimal Pareto optimal time optimal control problem

Frequently Paired Words

opt optimise optimism optimist optimistic optimize optimum option

Synonyms

best ideal optimum

Antonyms

pessimal worst

Questions

How do you pronounce optimal?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɑptɪməl/.
What does optimal mean?
The best, most favourable or desirable, especially under some restriction.
Where does optimal come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épi Proto-Indo-European *-tm̥mos ? Latin optimus English -al English optimal From Latin optimus (“best”) + English -al.

How to pronounce optimal

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “optimal”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɑptɪməl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “optimal”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “optimal” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.