sinuous
sin·u·ous/ˈsɪn.ju.əs/adjective
sinuous is spelled S-I-N-U-O-U-S: 7 letters and 3 syllables (sin·u·ous). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,738th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, sinuous means “Having curves in alternate directions; meandering” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sinuous?
| Letters | 7: S-I-N-U-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: sin·u·ous |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 51,738th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
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).
How common is sinuous?
Sinuous appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,738th 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 sinuous?
- /ˈsɪn.ju.əs/
Sinuous has 3 syllables, split sin·u·ous in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-sinuous.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with sinuous
Sounds like: sinewous (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of sinuous
- more sinuous comparative
- most sinuous superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sinuous mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having curves in alternate directions; meandering.
We followed every bend of the sinuous river.
- 2
Moving gracefully and in a supple manner.
We were entranced by her sinuous dance.
- 3
Morally crooked; shifty.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sinuous in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense having curves in alternate directions; meandering:
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 sinuous come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin sinuōsus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).