contrarious
/kənˈtɹɛəɹi.əs/
"contrarious" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“contrarious” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tending to counter, oppose, resist, argue.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | contrarious |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /kənˈtɹɛəɹi.əs/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “contrarious” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for contrarious is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kənˈtɹɛəɹi.əs/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for contrarious, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From contrary + -ous, from Middle English contrarious, from Old French contrarious, from Late Latin contrāriōsus. The correct English form is contrarious, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-R-I-O-U-S.
Definition
- 1Tending to counter, oppose, resist, argue.
- 2Harmful, vexatious.
Etymology
From contrary + -ous, from Middle English contrarious, from Old French contrarious, from Late Latin contrāriōsus.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “contrarious”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-T-R-A-R-I-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /kənˈtɹɛəɹi.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.