initial
noun · adjective · verb
Simple meaning
The first letter of a word.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihnishuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪˈnɪʃəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The first letter of a word (especially a person's name)
“He refused to put the initials FRS after his name.”
adjective
Spatially first, placed at the beginning, in the first position; especially said of the first letter of a word.
Chronologically first, early; of or pertaining to the beginning, cause or origin.
verb
transitive
To sign one's initial(s), as an abbreviated signature.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The first letter of a word (especially a person's name)
Used this way, initial is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“He refused to put the initials FRS after his name.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A formal entry into an organization or position or office.
At the beginning.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse.
A corporation's first offer to sell stock to the public.
A corporation's first offer to sell stock to the public.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.