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cunning

/ˈkʌnɪŋ/adjective, noun

cunning is spelled C-U-N-N-I-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, cunning means “Sly; crafty; clever in surreptitious behaviour” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in cunning?

Letters7: C-U-N-N-I-N-G
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing2.8 times per million words; the 16,005th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in 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).

How common is cunning?

Cunning appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th 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 cunning?

  • /ˈkʌnɪŋ/

Cunning 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-cunning.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of cunning

  • more cunning comparative
  • most cunning superlative
  • cunnings plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does cunning mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Sly; crafty; clever in surreptitious behaviour.

  2. 2

    obsoleteSkillful, artful.

  3. 3

    obsoleteWrought with, or exhibiting, skill or ingenuity; ingenious.

    cunning work

  4. 4

    colloquialdatedCute, appealing.

noun

  1. 1

    Practical knowledge or experience; aptitude in performance; skill, proficiency; dexterity.

  2. 2

    Practical skill employed in a secret or crafty manner; craft; artifice; skillful deceit; art or magic.

  3. 3

    The disposition to employ one's skill in an artful manner; craftiness; guile; artifice; skill of being cunning, sly, conniving, or deceitful.

  4. 4

    The natural wit or instincts of an animal.

    the cunning of the fox or hare

  5. 5

    obsoleteKnowledge; learning; special knowledge (sometimes implying occult or magical knowledge).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Cunning in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchrusé (sly), talentueux (skillful), fourberie, sournoiserie (skill of being sly or deceitful)
Germangerissen, schlau, listig, durchtrieben, hinterlistig, abgefeimt (sly)
Portugueseastuto, esperto, matreiro (sly), ardil, astúcia, esperteza (skill of being sly or deceitful)
Spanishastuto, pillo, listo, cuco, pícaro, artero (sly)

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 cunning come from?

From Middle English cunning, kunning, konnyng, alteration of earlier Middle English cunninde, kunnende, cunnand, from Old English cunnende, present participle of cunnan (“to know how to, be able to”), equivalent to con + -ing. Cognate with Scots cunnand (“cunning”), German könnend (“able to do”), Icelandic kunnandi (“cunning”). More at con, can.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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