sourpuss
/ˈsaʊə(ɹ)ˌpʊs/noun, verb
sourpuss is spelled S-O-U-R-P-U-S-S: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sourpuss means “A person who is habitually gloomy, sullen or miserable; a grouch; a scowling person” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sourpuss is sourpusses.
How many letters and syllables are in sourpuss?
| Letters | 8: S-O-U-R-P-U-S-S |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 20 million words; the 134,976th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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 sourpuss?
Sourpuss appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th 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 sourpuss?
- /ˈsaʊə(ɹ)ˌpʊs/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-sourpuss.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of sourpuss
- sourpusses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- sourpussing participle, present
- sourpussed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sourpuss mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
informalA person who is habitually gloomy, sullen or miserable; a grouch; a scowling person.
verb
- 1
To make a gloomy, sullen or miserable facial expression; to scowl.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sourpuss in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense person who is gloomy, sullen, or miserable:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | grincheux, râleur |
| German | Miesepeter, Sauertopf |
| Spanish | cascarrabias |
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 sourpuss come from?
From sour (“bad-tempered”) + puss (“slang for mouth”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).