innuendo
/ˌɪnjuˈɛndəʊ/noun, verb
innuendo is spelled I-N-N-U-E-N-D-O: 8 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, innuendo means “A derogatory hint or reference to, or (often sexual) insinuation about, a person or thing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of innuendo is innuendoes or innuendos.
How many letters and syllables are in innuendo?
| Letters | 8: I-N-N-U-E-N-D-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,798th 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 innuendo?
Innuendo appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,798th 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 innuendo?
- /ˌɪnjuˈɛndəʊ/
Innuendo has 4 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-I_learned_some_phrases-innuendo.wav, En-us-innuendo.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of innuendo
- innuendoes plural
- innuendos plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- innuendis plural
- inuendo
- innuendoing participle, present
- innuendoed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does innuendo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A derogatory hint or reference to, or (often sexual) insinuation about, a person or thing.
She made a devious innuendo about her opponent, who was embarrassed.
- 2
A remark that is suggestive of something sexual without stating it explicitly.
- 3
A rhetorical device with an omitted but obvious conclusion, made to increase the force of an argument.
- 4
Part of a pleading in cases of libel and slander, pointing out what and who was meant by the libellous matter or description.
verb
- 1
To interpret (something libellous or slanderous) in terms of what was implied.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Innuendo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a derogatory hint or reference to a person or thing, an implication or insinuati:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | insinuation, sous-entendu |
| German | Anspielung, Innuendo |
| Portuguese | insinuação, indireta |
| Spanish | indirecta, innuendo, inuendo |
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 innuendo come from?
From the Latin innuendō (“by nodding”), ablative singular form of innuendum (“a nodding”), gerund of innuō (“to give a nod”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).