cirrus
cir·rus/ˈsɪɹəs/noun
cirrus is spelled C-I-R-R-U-S: 6 letters and 2 syllables (cir·rus). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cirrus means “Synonym of tendril (“a thin, spirally coiling stem that attaches a plant to its support”)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cirrus is cirri.
How many letters and syllables are in cirrus?
| Letters | 6: C-I-R-R-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: cir·rus |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
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).
How common is cirrus?
Cirrus appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th 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 cirrus?
- US /ˈsɪɹəs/
- US /ˈsɪɹaɪ/
Cirrus has 2 syllables, split cir·rus in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-cirrus.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-cirrus.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with cirrus
Sounds like: cirrous (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of cirrus
- cirri plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cirrus mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Synonym of tendril (“a thin, spirally coiling stem that attaches a plant to its support”).
- 2
A thin tendril-like appendage, such as a barbel (“whisker-like sensory organ around the mouth”) of some fish, a cilium of some species of protists, or a foot of some crustaceans of the infraclass Cirripedia.
- 3
obsoleteA tuft of ornamental feathers.
- 4
obsoleteA long, thin, wirelike tail feather.
- 5
A principal high-level type of cloud, typically composed of thin, delicate, white filaments or wisps, or narrow bands.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cirrus in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | cirro , cirrus |
| Spanish | cirro , cirrus |
| French | cirre , cirrus |
| German | Cirrus , Cirruswolke, Zirrus, Federwolke |
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 cirrus come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin cirrus (“curl; fringe of clothes; mane (especially forelock) of a horse; etc”); further etymology unknown. Sense 2 (“type of cloud”) was coined by the British chemist and amateur meteorologist Luke Howard (1772–1864): see the 1803 quotation. The plural form cirri is also a learned borrowing from Latin cirrī, the nominative or vocative plural of cirrus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).