suave
/swɑv/adjective, noun
suave is spelled S-U-A-V-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, suave means “Of a person, charming, though often in a manner that is insincere or sophisticated” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in suave?
| Letters | 5: S-U-A-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is suave?
Suave appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,798th 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 suave?
- UK /swɑːv/
- US /swɑv/
- US /sweɪv/
Suave has one syllable (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-suave.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with suave?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as suave from its last stressed vowel (/ɑv/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of suave
- suaver comparative
- suavest superlative
- suaves plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does suave mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of a person, charming, though often in a manner that is insincere or sophisticated.
a man with a suave demeanor
- 2
Displaying smoothness and sophistication.
suave excellence
- 3
Gracious, kind.
noun
- 1
sweet-talk
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Suave in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense charming but sophisticated:
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 suave come from?
From Middle English suave, borrowed from Latin suāvis (“sweet, pleasant”); doublet of sweet. First attested in the early 15th century.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).