curious

/ˈkjʊə.ɹi.əs/

//ˈkjʊə.ɹi.əs// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"curious" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“curious” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,289 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#3,289
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate; inquisitive; (with a negative connotation) nosy, prying.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

curious vs curiously
78% similar
curious vs copious
71% similar
curious vs cautious
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for curious
PropertyValue
Headwordcurious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkjʊə.ɹi.əs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,289
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “curious” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). curious lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for curious is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkjʊə.ɹi.əs/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,289 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for curious, with forms such as "ccurious", "cruious", and "cuirous". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "curiously", "copious", "cautious", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English curious, from Old French curius, from Latin cūriōsus. The English word is cognate with Italian curioso, Occitan curios, Portuguese curioso, and Spanish curioso. The correct English form is curious, spelled C-U-R-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate; inquisitive; (with a negative connotation) nosy, prying.
  2. 2
    Caused by curiosity.
  3. 3
    Leading one to ask questions about; somewhat odd, out of the ordinary, or unusual.
  4. 4
    Clipping of bi-curious.
  5. 5
    Interested in entering a romantic or sexual relationship with a specified group.
  6. 6
    Careful, fastidious, particular; (specifically) demanding a high standard of excellence, difficult to satisfy.
  7. 7
    Carefully or artfully constructed; made with great elegance or skill.

Etymology

From Middle English curious, from Old French curius, from Latin cūriōsus. The English word is cognate with Italian curioso, Occitan curios, Portuguese curioso, and Spanish curioso.

This word in other languages

curioso(Español)curieux(Français)neugierig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccurious,cruious,cuirous,curiosu,curiouss,curiuos,curoius,currious,ucrious

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of curious - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccurious1cruious2cuirous2curiosu2curiouss1curiuos2curoius2currious1
Edit distance from "curious"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "curious"?
"curious" is spelled C-U-R-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkjʊə.ɹi.əs/.
What does "curious" mean?
As an adjective, "curious" means: Tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate; inquisitive; (with a negative connotation) nosy, prying.
What words are commonly confused with "curious"?
"curious" is commonly confused with "curiously", "copious", "cautious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "curious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "curious" is /ˈkjʊə.ɹi.əs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "curious"?
From Middle English curious, from Old French curius, from Latin cūriōsus. The English word is cognate with Italian curioso, Occitan curios, Portuguese curioso, and Spanish curioso. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “curious”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-U-R-I-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkjʊə.ɹi.əs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “curiously” - see the side-by-side comparison. curious vs curiously
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list