perspicacious
per·spi·ca·cious/ˌpɜːɹ.spɪˈkeɪ.ʃəs/adjective
perspicacious is spelled P-E-R-S-P-I-C-A-C-I-O-U-S: 13 letters and 4 syllables (per·spi·ca·cious). It appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, perspicacious means “Of acute discernment; having keen insight; mentally perceptive” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in perspicacious?
| Letters | 13: P-E-R-S-P-I-C-A-C-I-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: per·spi·ca·cious |
| In writing | about once in every 20 million words; the 134,976th 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; 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 perspicacious?
Perspicacious appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th 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 perspicacious?
- UK /ˌpɜː.spɪˈkeɪ.ʃəs/
- US /ˌpɜːɹ.spɪˈkeɪ.ʃəs/
Perspicacious has 4 syllables, split per·spi·ca·cious in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-perspicacious.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with perspicacious?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as perspicacious from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃəs/):
- tenacious
- audacious
- herbaceous
- ostentatious
- efficacious
- rapacious
- sebaceous
- pugnacious
- loquacious
- argillaceous
- contumacious
- pertinacious
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 perspicacious
- more perspicacious comparative
- most perspicacious superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does perspicacious mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of acute discernment; having keen insight; mentally perceptive.
- 2
obsoleteAble to physically see clearly; quick-sighted; sharp-sighted.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Perspicacious in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | perspicace , clairvoyant |
| German | scharfsinnig |
| Portuguese | perspicaz |
| Spanish | perspicaz |
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 perspicacious come from?
First attested 1548, from Late Latin perspicācitās (“discernment”), from Latin perspicax (“sharp-sighted”), from perspiciō (“look through”), from per- (“through”) + speciō (“look at”). See also perspective.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).