circumspect
/ˈsɝ.kəm.spɛkt/adjective
circumspect is spelled C-I-R-C-U-M-S-P-E-C-T: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 55,433rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, circumspect means “Carefully aware of all circumstances; considerate of all that is pertinent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in circumspect?
| Letters | 11: C-I-R-C-U-M-S-P-E-C-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 55,433rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is circumspect?
Circumspect appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 55,433rd 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 circumspect?
- UK /ˈsɜː.kəm.spɛkt/
- US /ˈsɝ.kəm.spɛkt/
Circumspect has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-circumspect.ogg, En-au-circumspect.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of circumspect
- more circumspect comparative
- most circumspect superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does circumspect mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Carefully aware of all circumstances; considerate of all that is pertinent.
Being aware of the danger of upsetting her audience, she was somewhat circumspect in her comments.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Circumspect in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense carefully aware of all circumstances:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | circonspect |
| German | vorsichtig, umsichtig |
| Portuguese | prudente, cuidadoso, cauteloso, circunspecto, circunspeto |
| Spanish | circunspecto, cauteloso, cauto, precavido, prudente |
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 circumspect come from?
From Latin circumspectō (“look around”). Compare periscope.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).