curious
cu·ri·ous/ˈkjʊə.ɹi.əs/adjective
curious is spelled C-U-R-I-O-U-S: 7 letters and 3 syllables (cu·ri·ous). It appears 28 times per million words in written English, the 3,288th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, curious means “Tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate; inquisitive; (with a negative connotation) nosy, prying” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in curious?
| Letters | 7: C-U-R-I-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: cu·ri·ous |
| In writing | 28 times per million words; the 3,288th 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 curious?
Curious appears 28 times per million words in written English, the 3,288th 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 curious?
- UK /ˈkjʊə.ɹi.əs/
- UK /ˈkjɔː-/
- British /ˈkjɵːɹɪjəs/
Curious has 3 syllables, split cu·ri·ous in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-curious.wav, En-us-curious.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with curious?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as curious from its last stressed vowel (/ʊəɹiəs/, British pronunciation):
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 curious
- more curious comparative
- curiouser comparative
- most curious superlative
- curiousest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does curious mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate; inquisitive; (with a negative connotation) nosy, prying.
Young children are naturally curious about the world and everything in it.
- 2
Caused by curiosity.
- 3
Leading one to ask questions about; somewhat odd, out of the ordinary, or unusual.
The platypus is a curious creature, with fur like a mammal and a beak like a bird.
- 4
Clipping of bi-curious.
- 5
Interested in entering a romantic or sexual relationship with a specified group.
- 6
obsoleteCareful, fastidious, particular; (specifically) demanding a high standard of excellence, difficult to satisfy.
- 7
obsoleteCarefully or artfully constructed; made with great elegance or skill.
- 8
rareContaining or pertaining to trivalent curium.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Curious in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | curieux |
| German | neugierig , kurios |
| Portuguese | curioso , estranho |
| Spanish | curioso, tener curiosidad , extraño, raro |
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 curious come from?
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. Displaced native Old English firwitġeorn.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).