tenacious
tena·cious/təˈneɪʃəs/adjective
tenacious is spelled T-E-N-A-C-I-O-U-S: 9 letters and 2 syllables (tena·cious). It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, tenacious means “Clinging to an object or surface; adhesive” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tenacious?
| Letters | 9: T-E-N-A-C-I-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: tena·cious |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,462nd 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 tenacious?
Tenacious appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd 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 tenacious?
- US /təˈneɪʃəs/
- Australia /təˈnæɪʃəs/
Tenacious has 2 syllables, split tena·cious in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-tenacious.ogg, En-au-tenacious.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tenacious?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as tenacious from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃəs/):
- audacious
- herbaceous
- ostentatious
- efficacious
- rapacious
- sebaceous
- pugnacious
- loquacious
- perspicacious
- argillaceous
- contumacious
- pertinacious
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 tenacious
- more tenacious comparative
- most tenacious superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tenacious mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Clinging to an object or surface; adhesive.
- 2
Unwilling to yield or give up; dogged.
- 3
Holding together; cohesive.
- 4
Having a good memory; retentive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tenacious in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | fest haftend, festklebend, klebrig , hartnäckig, beharrlich, zäh |
| Portuguese | aderente, tenaz , teimoso, porfiado |
| Spanish | aferrado , tenaz, tesonero |
| French | tenace |
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 tenacious come from?
From Latin tenāx (“holding fast, clinging”), from tenēre (“to hold”), + -ious.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).