Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

canal

/kəˈnæl/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.22 in modern English

Syllables
canal
IPA
/kəˈnæl/
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation.

noun

A tubular channel within the body or within a plant.

noun

One of the faint, hazy markings resembling straight lines on early telescopic images of the surface of Mars; see Martian canals

verb

To dig an artificial waterway in or to (a place), especially for drainage

verb

To travel along a canal by boat

name

A surname.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French canal, from Old French canal, from Latin canālis (“channel, canal, narrow passage”), from canna (“reed, cane”), from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna, “reed”), from Akkadian 𒄀 (qanû, “reed”). Doublet of channel. See also cane and -al.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: canal, canālis, κάννα, 𒄀

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /kəˈnæl/
  • British English: /kəˈnæl/

Inflected Forms

canals (plural) canals (present, singular) canalling (participle, present) canalled (participle, past) canalled (past)

Derived Forms

canalage canalicule canaliferous canaliform canalise canalize canaller canalman canalogram canalography canalolith canalolithiasis

Phrases

alar canal alimentary canal auditory canal birth canal C&D Canal canal basin canal boat canal bridge

Frequently Paired Words

channel channelization channelize canalization

Synonyms

duct epithelial duct channel canalize canalise

Rhymes With

al shall cal pal gal val hal morale mal rationale sal pascal

Questions

How do you pronounce canal?
The recorded pronunciation is /kəˈnæl/.
What does canal mean?
An artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation.
Where does canal come from?
It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce canal

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