slanderous

/ˈslændəɹəs/

//ˈslændəɹəs// adj

"slanderous" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“slanderous” is an uncommon English word, ranked #54,488 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#54,488
frequency rank, English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Both untrue and harmful to a reputation.

Key facts for slanderous
PropertyValue
Headwordslanderous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈslændəɹəs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#54,488
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “slanderous” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). slanderous lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for slanderous is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈslændəɹəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #54,488 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Both untrue and harmful to a reputation.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for slanderous in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From slander + -ous. The correct English form is slanderous, spelled S-L-A-N-D-E-R-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Both untrue and harmful to a reputation.

Etymology

From slander + -ous.

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); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "slanderous"?
"slanderous" is spelled S-L-A-N-D-E-R-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈslændəɹəs/.
What does "slanderous" mean?
As an adjective, "slanderous" means: Both untrue and harmful to a reputation.
How do you pronounce "slanderous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slanderous" is /ˈslændəɹəs/. 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 "slanderous"?
From slander + -ous. 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.

Using “slanderous”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-L-A-N-D-E-R-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈslændəɹəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list