Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

habitual

/həˈbɪ.t͡ʃʊ.əl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.14 in modern English

Syllables
ha-bit-u-al
IPA
/həˈbɪ.t͡ʃʊ.əl/
13
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Regular or usual.

adj

Of a person or thing: engaging in some behaviour as a habit or regularly.

noun

One who does something habitually, such as a serial criminal offender.

Colloquial

Example Sentences

Etymology

The adjective is derived from Late Middle English habitual (“of one's inherent disposition”), from Medieval Latin habituālis (“customary; habitual”), from Latin habitus (“character; disposition; habit; physical or emotional condition; attire, dress”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship); analysable as habit + -ual. Habitus is derived from habeō (“to have; to hold; to own; to possess”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- (“to grab, take”)) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs). The noun is derived from the adjective.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /həˈbɪ.t͡ʃʊ.əl/
  • British English: /həˈbɪ.tʃʊ.əl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more habitual (comparative) most habitual (superlative) habituall (alternative) habituals (plural)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce habitual?
The recorded pronunciation is /həˈbɪ.t͡ʃʊ.əl/.
What does habitual mean?
Of or relating to a habit; established as a habit; performed over and over again; recurrent, recurring.
Where does habitual come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce habitual

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