convex
/ˈkɒn.vɛks/adjective, noun, verb
convex is spelled C-O-N-V-E-X: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,629th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “concave vs convex” about 27,100 times a month (Google, United States). As an adjective, convex means “Curved or bowed outward like the outside of a bowl, circle, or sphere” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in convex?
| Letters | 6: C-O-N-V-E-X |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.8 times per million words; the 20,629th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is convex?
Convex appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,629th 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 convex?
- UK /ˈkɒn.vɛks/
- UK /kɒnˈvɛks/
- UK /kənˈvɛks/
Convex 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-convex.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with convex
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of convex
- more convex comparative
- most convex superlative
- convexes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- convexing participle, present
- convexed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does convex mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Curved or bowed outward like the outside of a bowl, circle, or sphere.
- 2
having an epigraph that is a convex set.
- 3
having no internal angles greater than 180 degrees.
- 4
arranged such that for any two points in the set, a straight line between the two points is contained within the set.
noun
- 1
Any convex body or surface.
- 2
A playing card made convex for use in cheating.
- 3
A small convex mirror used to cheat by observing other players' cards.
verb
- 1
To form a convex curve or surface; to become convex.
- 2
To cause to form a convex curve or surface; to make convex.
- 3
To circulate or cause to circulate in a curved path; to cause or exhibit convection.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Convex in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense curved or bowed outward like the outside of a bowl, circle, or sphere:
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 convex come from?
Borrowed from Middle French convexe, from Latin convexus (“arched”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).