handsome
hand·some/ˈhæn.səm/adjective
handsome is spelled H-A-N-D-S-O-M-E, 2 syllables: hand·some. The wrong spelling people search most is hansome: about 130 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 17 of all searches for the word. Handsome is an adjective meaning “Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive, particularly”.
How many letters and syllables are in handsome?
| Letters | 8: H-A-N-D-S-O-M-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: hand·some |
| In writing | 17 times per million words; the 4,934th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, hansome, about 130 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you spell handsome?
Handsome is spelled H-A-N-D-S-O-M-E. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 17 of the searches for handsome in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is handsome?
Handsome appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,934th 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 handsome?
- /ˈhæn.səm/
Handsome has 2 syllables, split hand·some in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-handsome.ogg, En-us-handsome.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of handsome
- more handsome comparative
- handsomer comparative
- most handsome superlative
- handsomest superlative
- handsomes present, singular, he/she/it
- handsoming participle, present
- handsomed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does handsome mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive, particularly
That is one handsome tree you've got there.
- 2
Of a man or boy: attractively manly, having a pleasing face and overall effect.
I was struck dumb. Here was the most handsome man I’d ever seen in my life coming out of the surf.
- 3
Of a woman: statuesque, beautiful in a masculine or otherwise imposing way.
She was either handsome or her uniform created a flattering effect but–being very nearsighted–he couldn't tell from this distance.
- 4
Good, appealing, appropriate.
- 5
Of weather, fine, clear and bright.
- 6
Suitable or fit in action; marked with propriety and ease; appropriate.
a handsome style
- 7
Generous or noble in character.
- 8
Ample; moderately large.
a handsome salary
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo render handsome.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Handsome in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | beau |
| German | hübsch, stattlich, gutaussehend , ansehnlich, schmuck |
| Portuguese | bonito , bem-apanhada, jeitosa , belo |
| Spanish | apuesto, guapo, de buen parecer, buenmozo, guaperas (despective) , guapa |
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 handsome come from?
From Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).