grotesque
/ɡɹoʊˈtɛsk/adjective, noun, verb
grotesque is spelled G-R-O-T-E-S-Q-U-E: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,101st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, grotesque means “Distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal, especially in a hideous way” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in grotesque?
| Letters | 9: G-R-O-T-E-S-Q-U-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 20,101st 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 grotesque?
Grotesque appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,101st 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 grotesque?
- UK /ɡɹəʊˈtɛsk/
- US /ɡɹoʊˈtɛsk/
Grotesque 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-us-grotesque.ogg, En-au-grotesque.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with grotesque?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as grotesque from its last stressed vowel (/ɛsk/):
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 grotesque
- grotesquer comparative
- more grotesque comparative
- grotesquest superlative
- most grotesque superlative
- grotesques plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- grotesquing participle, present
- grotesqueing participle, present
- grotesqued participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does grotesque mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal, especially in a hideous way.
- 2
Disgusting or otherwise viscerally revolting.
- 3
Sans serif.
noun
- 1
A style of ornamentation characterized by fanciful combinations of intertwined forms.
- 2
Anything grotesque.
- 3
A sans serif typeface.
verb
- 1
To make grotesque.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Grotesque in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal and hideous:
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 grotesque come from?
Borrowed from Middle French grotesque, from Italian grottesco, from grotta (“cave”) + -esco (relational suffix). By surface analysis, grotto + -esque. Compare French grotesque, English grotto.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).