sagacious

/səˈɡeɪʃəs/

//səˈɡeɪʃəs// adj

"sagacious" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sagacious” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having or showing keen discernment, sound judgment, and farsightedness; mentally shrewd.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sagacious · sagacious · English

sagacious · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for sagacious
PropertyValue
Headwordsagacious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/səˈɡeɪʃəs/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sagacious” sits in English frequency

sagaciousranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sagacious is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /səˈɡeɪʃəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Having or showing keen discernment, sound judgment, and farsightedness; mentally shrewd.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for sagacious, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Coined between 1600 and 1610. Borrowed from Latin sagāx, + -ious. The correct English form is sagacious, spelled S-A-G-A-C-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having or showing keen discernment, sound judgment, and farsightedness; mentally shrewd.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how sagacious appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. I resort, once again, to a sagacious adage from Justice Scalia […]

Etymology

Coined between 1600 and 1610. Borrowed from Latin sagāx, + -ious.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sagacious"?
"sagacious" is spelled S-A-G-A-C-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈɡeɪʃəs/.
What does "sagacious" mean?
As an adjective, "sagacious" means: Having or showing keen discernment, sound judgment, and farsightedness; mentally shrewd.
How do you pronounce "sagacious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sagacious" is /səˈɡeɪʃəs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "sagacious"?
Coined between 1600 and 1610. Borrowed from Latin sagāx, + -ious. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

What to do next

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Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list