contemptuous
/kənˈtɛm(p).tʃu.əs/
"contemptuous" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“contemptuous” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #44,707 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #44,707
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 18
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Showing contempt; expressing disdain; showing a lack of respect.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | contemptuous |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /kənˈtɛm(p).tʃu.əs/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #44,707 |
| Misspellings tracked | 18 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “contemptuous” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for contemptuous is 12 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kənˈtɛm(p).tʃu.əs/. Corpus data places it at rank #44,707 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for contemptuous, with forms such as "ccontemptuous", "cnotemptuous", and "conetmptuous". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin contemptus (whence contempt) + -ous. The correct English form is contemptuous, spelled C-O-N-T-E-M-P-T-U-O-U-S.
Definition
- 1Showing contempt; expressing disdain; showing a lack of respect.
- 2Worthy of contempt; contemptible.
Etymology
From Latin contemptus (whence contempt) + -ous.
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccontemptuous,cnotemptuous,conetmptuous,conntemptuous,contemmptuous,contempptuous,contemptouus,contempttuous,contemptuosu,contemptuouss,contemptuuos,contemputous,contemtpuous,contepmtuous,contmeptuous,conttemptuous,cotnemptuous,ocntemptuous
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of contemptuous - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “contemptuous”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-T-E-M-P-T-U-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /kənˈtɛm(p).tʃu.əs/ (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.