counterintuitive
/ˌkaʊntəɹɪnˈtuɪtɪv/adjective
counterintuitive is spelled C-O-U-N-T-E-R-I-N-T-U-I-T-I-V-E: 16 letters. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, counterintuitive means “Contrary to intuition or common sense” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in counterintuitive?
| Letters | 16: C-O-U-N-T-E-R-I-N-T-U-I-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,145th 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 counterintuitive?
Counterintuitive appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th 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 counterintuitive?
- US /ˌkaʊntəɹɪnˈtuɪtɪv/
- US [ˌkʰaʊɾ̃ɚɪnˈtʰuɪɾɪv]
- UK /ˌkaʊntəɹɪnˈtjuːɪtɪv/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-GB-counterintuitive.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with counterintuitive
Also written: counter-intuitive (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with counterintuitive?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as counterintuitive from its last stressed vowel (/uɪtɪv/):
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 counterintuitive
- more counterintuitive comparative
- most counterintuitive superlative
- counter-intuitive
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does counterintuitive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Contrary to intuition or common sense.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Counterintuitive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense contrary to intuition or common sense:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | contre-intuitif |
| German | kontraintuitiv |
| Portuguese | contraintuitivo |
| Spanish | contraintuitivo |
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 counterintuitive come from?
From counter- + intuitive. Coined by Noam Chomsky in 1955 as “counter-intuitive”.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).