ambiguous
am·bi·gu·ous/æmˈbɪɡ.ju.əs/adjective
ambiguous is spelled A-M-B-I-G-U-O-U-S: 9 letters and 4 syllables (am·bi·gu·ous). It appears 3.7 times per million words in written English, the 13,496th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ambiguous means “Open to multiple interpretations” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ambiguous?
| Letters | 9: A-M-B-I-G-U-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: am·bi·gu·ous |
| In writing | 3.7 times per million words; the 13,496th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is ambiguous?
Ambiguous appears 3.7 times per million words in written English, the 13,496th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ambiguous?
- UK /æmˈbɪɡ.ju.əs/
- US /æmˈbɪɡ.ju.əs/
- US [ɛəmˈbɪɡ.ju.əs]
Ambiguous has 4 syllables, split am·bi·gu·ous in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-ambiguous.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ambiguous?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ambiguous from its last stressed vowel (/ɪɡjuəs/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of ambiguous
- more ambiguous comparative
- most ambiguous superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ambiguous mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Open to multiple interpretations.
The politician was criticized for his ambiguous statements and lack of precision.
- 2
obsoleteHesitant; uncertain; not taking sides.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ambiguous in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense open to multiple interpretations:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ambigu |
| German | mehrdeutig (doppeldeutig, zweideutig) |
| Portuguese | ambíguo, dúbio |
| Spanish | ambiguo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does ambiguous come from?
From Latin ambiguus (“moving from side to side, of doubtful nature”), from ambigere (“to go about, wander, doubt”), from ambi- (“around, about, on both sides”) + agere (“to drive, move”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).