Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ritual

/ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.u.əl/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.02 in modern English

Syllables: ri-tu-al
IPA: /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.u.əl/

6

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Related to a rite or repeated set of actions.

noun

A rite; a repeated set of actions, especially in religious contexts (that is, a service).

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"They performed the ritual lighting of the candles."
"These verses are the basis for the practice of wearing a prayer shawl (tallit) with a ritual fringe (tzitzit) on each of its four corners"
"The priests carried out the religious ritual carefully."
"Despite their good intentions, family members who participate in OCD rituals help reinforce the problem."

Etymology

From Latin rītuālis (adjective), from rītus (“rite”) + -ālis. Displaced native Old English ġewuna and wuna.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.u.əl/
British English: /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.u.əl/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Religion.

Inflected Forms

more ritual (comparative) most ritual (superlative) rituall (alternative, obsolete) rituals (plural)

Derived Forms

ritually antiritual biritual nonritual postritual ritualisation ritualization ritualise ritualize ritualist ritualistic rituality

Phrases

bi-ritual ritual abuse ritual magic ritual servitude ritual Ten Commandments humiliation ritual

Synonyms

rite

Rhymes With

habitual

Questions

How do you pronounce ritual?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.u.əl/.
What does ritual mean?: Related to a rite or repeated set of actions.
Where does ritual come from?: From Latin rītuālis (adjective), from rītus (“rite”) + -ālis. Displaced native Old English ġewuna and wuna.

How to pronounce ritual

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “ritual”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.u.əl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “ritual” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.