felicitous

/fəˈlɪsɪtəs/

//fəˈlɪsɪtəs// adj

"felicitous" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“felicitous” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Characterized by felicity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-felicitous · felicitous · English

felicitous · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "F" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for felicitous
PropertyValue
Headwordfelicitous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/fəˈlɪsɪtəs/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “felicitous” sits in English frequency

felicitousranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

felicitous is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /fəˈlɪsɪtəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

felicitous has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From felicity + -ous. The correct English form is felicitous, spelled F-E-L-I-C-I-T-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Characterized by felicity.
  2. 2
    Characterized by felicity.
  3. 3
    Characterized by felicity.
  4. 4
    Of a sentence or utterance: semantically and pragmatically coherent; fitting in the context.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how felicitous appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Walter again pursued his way, lost in a very mixed reverie; sometimes writhing under an idea of degradation, in thus making a trade of his talents; and then, again, somewhat consoled by the pride of art; for how many felicitous and stinging epigrams arose in his mind!
  2. As a post-prandial speaker, however, Thackeray was undeniably the reverse of felicitous.

Etymology

From felicity + -ous.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "felicitous"?
"felicitous" is spelled F-E-L-I-C-I-T-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /fəˈlɪsɪtəs/.
What does "felicitous" mean?
As an adjective, "felicitous" means: Characterized by felicity.
How do you pronounce "felicitous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "felicitous" is /fəˈlɪsɪtəs/. 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 "felicitous"?
From felicity + -ous. 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.

What to do next

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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