fractious
/ˈfɹæk.ʃəs/adjective
fractious is spelled F-R-A-C-T-I-O-U-S: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 63,645th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, fractious means “Given to troublemaking” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fractious?
| Letters | 9: F-R-A-C-T-I-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 63,645th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 fractious?
Fractious appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 63,645th 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 fractious?
- US /ˈfɹæk.ʃəs/
Fractious 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-uk-fractious.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fractious
- more fractious comparative
- most fractious superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fractious mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Given to troublemaking.
- 2
Irritable; argumentative; quarrelsome.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fractious in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | aufsässig, widerspenstig, zänkisch , verdrießlich |
| Spanish | quisquilloso, molestoso, problemático, revoltoso, díscolo, fraccionado |
| French | hargneux |
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 fractious come from?
From fraction (“discord”) (now obsolete) + -ous.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).