picturesque
/ˌpɪkt͡ʃəˈɹɛsk/adjective
picturesque is spelled P-I-C-T-U-R-E-S-Q-U-E: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, picturesque means “Resembling or worthy of a picture or painting; having the qualities of a picture or painting; pleasingly beautiful” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in picturesque?
| Letters | 11: P-I-C-T-U-R-E-S-Q-U-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,928th 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 picturesque?
Picturesque appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th 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 picturesque?
- /ˌpɪkt͡ʃəˈɹɛsk/
Picturesque has 3 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-picturesque.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with picturesque
Also written: picture-skew.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of picturesque
- more picturesque comparative
- most picturesque superlative
- picture-skew
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does picturesque mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Resembling or worthy of a picture or painting; having the qualities of a picture or painting; pleasingly beautiful.
We looked down onto a beautiful, picturesque sunset over the ocean.
- 2
Strikingly graphic or vivid; having striking and vivid imagery.
picturesque language
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Picturesque in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense resembling a picture or painting:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pittoresque |
| German | malerisch, pittoresk |
| Portuguese | pitoresco, pinturesco |
| Spanish | pintoresco |
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 picturesque come from?
From picture + -esque, a calque of French pittoresque, from picture (“a picture, painting”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).