delicious
de·li·cious/dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/adjective
delicious is spelled D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S: 9 letters and 3 syllables (de·li·cious). It appears 22 times per million words in written English, the 4,015th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, delicious means “Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in delicious?
| Letters | 9: D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: de·li·cious |
| In writing | 22 times per million words; the 4,015th 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 delicious?
Delicious appears 22 times per million words in written English, the 4,015th 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 delicious?
- UK /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/
- US /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/
- US /də-/
Delicious has 3 syllables, split de·li·cious in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-delicious.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with delicious?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as delicious from its last stressed vowel (/ɪʃəs/):
- ambitious
- fictitious
- nutritious
- superstitious
- auspicious
- pernicious
- judicious
- surreptitious
- bootylicious
- lubricious
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 delicious
- more delicious comparative
- most delicious superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does delicious mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty.
- 2
colloquialPleasing to a person's taste; pleasing to the eyes or mind.
The irony is delicious!
- 3
slangHaving tremendous sex appeal.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Delicious in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense pleasing to taste:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | délicieux, savoureux, gouteux, goutu |
| German | deliziös, köstlich, lecker, geschmackvoll, schmackhaft |
| Portuguese | delicioso, saboroso, gostoso, apetitoso |
| Spanish | delicioso, sabroso, rico, gustoso, apetitoso |
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 delicious come from?
From Middle English delicious, from Anglo-Norman delicious, from Old French delicious, delicieux, from Late Latin dēliciōsus (“delicate, delicious”)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).