contradictory
con·tra·dic·to·ry/ˌkɑntɹəˈdɪktəɹi/adjective, noun
contradictory is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-D-I-C-T-O-R-Y: 13 letters and 5 syllables (con·tra·dic·to·ry). It appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, contradictory means “That contradicts something, such as an argument” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in contradictory?
| Letters | 13: C-O-N-T-R-A-D-I-C-T-O-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: con·tra·dic·to·ry |
| In writing | 3.0 times per million words; the 15,368th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is contradictory?
Contradictory appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,368th 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 contradictory?
- UK /ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkt(ə)ɹi/
- US /ˌkɑntɹəˈdɪktəɹi/
- Canada /ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkt(ə)ɹi/
Contradictory has 5 syllables, split con·tra·dic·to·ry in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-contradictory.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with contradictory?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as contradictory from its last stressed vowel (/ɪktəɹi/):
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 contradictory
- more contradictory comparative
- most contradictory superlative
- contradictories plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does contradictory mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
That contradicts something, such as an argument.
- 2
That is itself a contradiction.
- 3
That is diametrically opposed to something.
- 4
Mutually exclusive.
- 5
Tending to contradict or oppose, contrarious.
noun
- 1
Either of a pair of propositions, that cannot both be true or both be false.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Contradictory in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | contradictoire |
| German | widersprüchlich |
| Portuguese | contraditório , contrário |
| Spanish | contradictorio |
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 contradictory come from?
Borrowed from Late Latin contradictorius, from Latin contradico. Equivalent to contradict + -ory.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).