tempestuous
tem·pest·u·ous/tɛmˈpɛs.tʃu.əs/adjective
tempestuous is spelled T-E-M-P-E-S-T-U-O-U-S: 11 letters and 4 syllables (tem·pest·u·ous). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 53,573rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, tempestuous means “Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a tempest; also, of a place: frequently experiencing tempests; (very) stormy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tempestuous?
| Letters | 11: T-E-M-P-E-S-T-U-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: tem·pest·u·ous |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 53,573rd 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; 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 tempestuous?
Tempestuous appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 53,573rd 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 tempestuous?
- UK /tɛmˈpɛs.tjʊ.əs/
- UK /-t͡ʃʊ-/
- US /tɛmˈpɛs.tʃu.əs/
Tempestuous has 4 syllables, split tem·pest·u·ous in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-tempestuous.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tempestuous?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as tempestuous from its last stressed vowel (/ɛstʃuəs/):
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 tempestuous
- more tempestuous comparative
- most tempestuous superlative
- tempestous
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tempestuous mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a tempest; also, of a place: frequently experiencing tempests; (very) stormy.
- 2
Characterized by disorderly, frenetic, or violent activity; stormy, tumultuous, turbulent; also, of a person, their behaviour or nature, etc.: characterized by bouts of bad temper or sudden changes of mood; impetuous, stormy, temperamental.
After their tempestuous argument, they did not speak to each other for weeks.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tempestuous in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of, pertaining to, or resembling, a tempest; of a place: frequently experiencing:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tempétueux |
| German | stürmisch |
| Portuguese | tempestuoso |
| Spanish | tempestuoso, borrascoso, proceloso |
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.