173 French words ending in -al you already know.
Same spelling in English, and with the same meaning. Here are all 173, the most common first.
Same word in English
- normalsay it nawr-MAHLin the 1000-word book, number 767
- généralgeneralsay it zhay-nay-RAHLin the 1000-word book, number 444
- animalsay it ah-nee-MAHLin the 1000-word book, number 900
- spécialspecialsay it spay-SYAHL
- totalsay it taw-TAHL
All 173, the most common first.
Ordered by how often each word turns up in French films and books. A chip like in the 1000-word book, number 767 marks the words in The 1000 Most Common French Words, with their rank in the book.
All 173 words, most common first.
- Number 1normalnormalin the 1000-word book, number 767
- Number 2generalgénéralin the 1000-word book, number 444
- Number 3nationalnational
- Number 4specialspécial
- Number 5socialsocial
- Number 6principalprincipal
- Number 7totaltotal
- Number 8centralcentral
- Number 9royalroyal
- Number 10moralmoral
- Number 11familialfamilial
- Number 12brutalbrutal
- Number 13medicalmédical
- Number 14internationalinternational
- Number 15locallocal
- Number 16idealidéal
- Number 17finalfinal
- Number 18musicalmusical
- Number 19fatalfatal
- Number 20banalbanal
- Number 21mentalmental
- Number 22imperialimpérial
- Number 23sentimentalsentimental
- Number 24postalpostal
- Number 25originaloriginal
- Number 26municipalmunicipal
- Number 27legallégal
- Number 28commercialcommercial
- Number 29vitalvital
- Number 30illegalillégal
- Number 31occidentaloccidental
- Number 32animalanimalin the 1000-word book, number 900
- Number 33capitalcapital
- Number 34infernalinfernal
- Number 35natalnatal
- Number 36orientaloriental
- Number 37loyalloyal
- Number 38glacialglacial
- Number 39verticalvertical
- Number 40federalfédéral
- Number 41colonialcolonial
- Number 42cerebralcérébral
- Number 43conjugalconjugal
- Number 44radicalradical
- Number 45monumentalmonumental
- Number 46navalnaval
- Number 47mineralminéral
- Number 48spatialspatial
- Number 49martialmartial
- Number 50horizontalhorizontal
- Number 51colossalcolossal
- Number 52liberallibéral
- Number 53initialinitial
- Number 54tropicaltropical
- Number 55verbalverbal
- Number 56vocalvocal
- Number 57laterallatéral
- Number 58ancestralancestral
- Number 59electoralélectoral
- Number 60nuptialnuptial
- Number 61provincialprovincial
- Number 62jovialjovial
- Number 63crucialcrucial
- Number 64globalglobal
- Number 65medievalmédiéval
- Number 66fiscalfiscal
- Number 67immoralimmoral
- Number 68vertebralvertébral
- Number 69rivalrival
- Number 70primordialprimordial
- Number 71cordialcordial
- Number 72regionalrégional
- Number 73cardinalcardinal
- Number 74digitaldigital
- Number 75immemorialimmémorial
- Number 76equatorialéquatorial
- Number 77ruralrural
- Number 78filialfilial
- Number 79oraloral
- Number 80intestinalintestinal
- Number 81nasalnasal
- Number 82territorialterritorial
- Number 83experimentalexpérimental
- Number 84astralastral
- Number 85maximalmaximal
- Number 86muralmural
- Number 87terminalterminal
- Number 88abdominalabdominal
- Number 89frontalfrontal
- Number 90gutturalguttural
- Number 91impartialimpartial
- Number 92architecturalarchitectural
- Number 93phenomenalphénoménal
- Number 94facialfacial
- Number 95cervicalcervical
- Number 96matrimonialmatrimonial
- Number 97parentalparental
- Number 98marginalmarginal
- Number 99foetalfoetal
- Number 100artisanalartisanal
- Number 101visceralviscéral
- Number 102venalvénal
- Number 103minimalminimal
- Number 104floralfloral
- Number 105paranormalparanormal
- Number 106borealboréal
- Number 107renalrénal
- Number 108tribaltribal
- Number 109dorsaldorsal
- Number 110hexagonalhexagonal
- Number 111fluvialfluvial
- Number 112continentalcontinental
- Number 113viralviral
- Number 114spectralspectral
- Number 115pastoralpastoral
- Number 116medico-legalmédico-légal
- Number 117partialpartial
- Number 118pyramidalpyramidal
- Number 119frugalfrugal
- Number 120ventralventral
- Number 121medicinalmédicinal
- Number 122amoralamoral
- Number 123ducalducal
- Number 124directorialdirectorial
- Number 125infinitesimalinfinitésimal
- Number 126femoralfémoral
- Number 127inauguralinaugural
- Number 128pectoralpectoral
- Number 129orchestralorchestral
- Number 130neuralneural
- Number 131fecalfécal
- Number 132hormonalhormonal
- Number 133unilateralunilatéral
- Number 134temporaltemporal
- Number 135intercontinentalintercontinental
- Number 136australaustral
- Number 137collateralcollatéral
- Number 138prenatalprénatal
- Number 139convivialconvivial
- Number 140buccalbuccal
- Number 141bilateralbilatéral
- Number 142grammaticalgrammatical
- Number 143proverbialproverbial
- Number 144abyssalabyssal
- Number 145antisocialantisocial
- Number 146multinationalmultinational
- Number 147optimaloptimal
- Number 148doctoraldoctoral
- Number 149decimaldécimal
- Number 150focalfocal
- Number 151longitudinallongitudinal
- Number 152maritalmarital
- Number 153nominalnominal
- Number 154senatorialsénatorial
- Number 155sculpturalsculptural
- Number 156trapezoidaltrapézoïdal
- Number 157occipitaloccipital
- Number 158cantonalcantonal
- Number 159radialradial
- Number 160orbitalorbital
- Number 161prenuptialprénuptial
- Number 162spinalspinal
- Number 163spiralspiral
- Number 164instrumentalinstrumental
- Number 165subliminalsubliminal
- Number 166littorallittoral
- Number 167collegialcollégial
- Number 168ceremonialcérémonial
- Number 169choralchoral
- Number 170editorialéditorial
- Number 171corticalcortical
- Number 172dentaldental
- Number 173dictatorialdictatorial
How we counted
- Everyday words only: each one turns up at least once in every two million words of French films and books (Lexique 3.83).
- Each has a real English twin that people still use, and the twin means the same thing. We checked every word against a dictionary, then by hand.
- We left out 7 words that look like English ones but mean something else, like intégral, which means complete. We also skip a few words to do with sex, violence, religion or politics.
Learn the top 1000 first
1000 Most Common French Words
The 1,000 words that make up about 70% of everyday written French, grouped by theme and by the patterns that link French to English, each with IPA, an easy English respelling and three example sentences glossed word by word.