picaresque
pi·car·esque/pɪkəˈɹɛsk/adjective, noun
picaresque is spelled P-I-C-A-R-E-S-Q-U-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables (pi·car·esque). It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 85,266th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, picaresque means “Of or pertaining to adventurers or rogues” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in picaresque?
| Letters | 10: P-I-C-A-R-E-S-Q-U-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: pi·car·esque |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 85,266th 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 picaresque?
Picaresque appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 85,266th 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 picaresque?
- US /pɪkəˈɹɛsk/
Picaresque has 3 syllables, split pi·car·esque in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-picaresque.wav, En-us-picaresque.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with picaresque?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as picaresque 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 picaresque
- more picaresque comparative
- most picaresque superlative
- picaresques plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does picaresque mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to adventurers or rogues.
- 2
Characteristic of a genre of Spanish satiric novel dealing with the adventures of a roguish hero.
noun
- 1
A picaresque novel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Picaresque in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | picaresque |
| German | pikaresk, pikarisch, spitzbübisch , Schelmenroman |
| Portuguese | picaresco, picaresca , romance picaresco |
| Spanish | picaresco , novela picaresca |
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 picaresque come from?
From picaro (“adventurer, rogue”) + -esque (suffix meaning ‘in the style or manner of’ forming adjectives), modelled after Spanish picaresco (“in the style or manner of a picaro; picaresque”), from pícaro (“rogue”) + -esco (suffix forming adjectives indicating a relation). Compare French picaresque (attested later than the English word), Italian picaresco, Portuguese picaresco.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).