rigorous
/ˈɹɪɡəɹəs/adjective
rigorous is spelled R-I-G-O-R-O-U-S: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 4.8 times per million words in written English, the 11,541st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, rigorous means “Showing, causing, or favoring rigour/rigor; scrupulously accurate or strict; thorough” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in rigorous?
| Letters | 8: R-I-G-O-R-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.8 times per million words; the 11,541st 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 rigorous?
Rigorous appears 4.8 times per million words in written English, the 11,541st 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 rigorous?
- /ˈɹɪɡəɹəs/
Rigorous 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-rigorous.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of rigorous
- more rigorous comparative
- most rigorous superlative
- rigourous
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rigorous mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Showing, causing, or favoring rigour/rigor; scrupulously accurate or strict; thorough.
a rigorous officer of justice
- 2
Severe; intense.
a rigorous winter
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rigorous in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rigoureux |
| German | streng, rigoros , rau |
| Portuguese | rigoroso |
| Spanish | riguroso, rigoroso |
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 rigorous come from?
Inherited from Middle English rigorous, from Middle French and Anglo-Norman rigoreus, derived from Late Latin rigōrōsus (stiff, rigid; inflexible). By surface analysis, rigor + -ous.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).