censorious
/sɛnˈsɔɹiəs/
"censorious" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“censorious” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Addicted to censure and scolding; apt to blame or condemn; severe in making remarks on others, or on their writings or manners.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | censorious |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /sɛnˈsɔɹiəs/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “censorious” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for censorious is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sɛnˈsɔɹiəs/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for censorious, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin cēnsōrius (“of or pertaining to a censor; severe”). In sense 3 ("tending to engage in or support censorship"), reanalyzed as censor + -ious. The correct English form is censorious, spelled C-E-N-S-O-R-I-O-U-S.
Definition
- 1Addicted to censure and scolding; apt to blame or condemn; severe in making remarks on others, or on their writings or manners.
- 2Implying or expressing censure.
- 3Tending to engage in or support censorship.
Etymology
From Latin cēnsōrius (“of or pertaining to a censor; severe”). In sense 3 ("tending to engage in or support censorship"), reanalyzed as censor + -ious.
Antonyms
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “censorious”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-E-N-S-O-R-I-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /sɛnˈsɔɹiəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.