contour
/ˈkɒntɔː/noun, verb
contour is spelled C-O-N-T-O-U-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, contour means “An outline, boundary or border, usually of curved shape” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of contour is contours.
How many letters and syllables are in contour?
| Letters | 7: C-O-N-T-O-U-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is contour?
Contour appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th 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 contour?
- /ˈkɒntɔː/
- /ˈkɒntʊə/
- /ˈkɑntɔɹ/
Contour has 2 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-contour.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with contour
Sounds like: kontor (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with contour?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as contour.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: crouton.
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 contour
- contours plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- contouring participle, present
- contoured participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does contour mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An outline, boundary or border, usually of curved shape.
the low drag contour of a modern automobile
- 2
A line on a map or chart delineating those points which have the same altitude or other plotted quantity: a contour line or isopleth; (metonymically) the landform or its surface.
- 3
a speech sound which behaves as a single segment, but which makes an internal transition from one quality, place, or manner to another.
- 4
A general description giving the most important points.
verb
- 1
To form a more or less curved boundary or border upon.
- 2
To mark with contour lines.
- 3
To practise the makeup technique of contouring.
- 4
To shape conditions regarding salient points.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Contour in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | contour , ligne de niveau |
| German | Kontur , Höhenlinie, Höhenlinien, Isohypse, Niveaulinie, Höhenschichtlinie |
| Portuguese | contorno |
| Spanish | contorno , contornear, contornar |
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 contour come from?
Borrowed from French contour, from contourner, equivalent to con- + tour.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).