tenuous

/ˈtɛn.ju.əs/

//ˈtɛn.ju.əs// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"tenuous" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tenuous” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,399. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,399
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Thin in substance or consistency.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tenuous · tenuous · English

tenuous · rank #28,399 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #28,399
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tailgate

Nearest frequency peer: tailgate (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tenuous”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “tenuous” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

tenuous vs tedious
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for tenuous
PropertyValue
Headwordtenuous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɛn.ju.əs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#28,399
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tenuous”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “tailgate” (#28,398), “Thelma” (#28,400), “synaptic” (#28,397). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tenuous” is #28,399. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around tenuous (IPA /ˈtɛn.ju.əs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #28,399 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for tenuous, with forms such as "etnuous", "tennuous", and "tenouus". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "tedious", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Irregularly formed from Latin tenuis (“thin, slight”) + -ous. Compare tenuious. The correct English form is tenuous, spelled T-E-N-U-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Thin in substance or consistency.
  2. 2
    Insubstantial.
  3. 3
    Precarious, dependent upon unreliable things.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how tenuous appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The aether was thought to be of tenuous strands.
  2. Far from being amicable, the numbers seemed to turn their backs on each other, and I couldn't find a pair with even the most tenuous connection.

Etymology

Irregularly formed from Latin tenuis (“thin, slight”) + -ous. Compare tenuious.

This word in other languages

tenue(Español)ténu(Français)dünn(Deutsch)ténue(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etnuous
  • tennuous
  • tenouus
  • tenuosu
  • tenuouss
  • tenuuos
  • teunous
  • tneuous
  • ttenuous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tenuous - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

etnuous2tennuous1tenouus2tenuosu2tenuouss1tenuuos2teunous2tneuous2
Edit distance from "tenuous"

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 "tenuous"?
"tenuous" is spelled T-E-N-U-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛn.ju.əs/.
What does "tenuous" mean?
As an adjective, "tenuous" means: Thin in substance or consistency.
What words are commonly confused with "tenuous"?
"tenuous" is commonly confused with "tedious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tenuous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tenuous" is /ˈtɛn.ju.əs/. 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 "tenuous"?
Irregularly formed from Latin tenuis (“thin, slight”) + -ous. Compare tenuious. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "tenuous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

uterine#28,415Versace#28,421Wheaton#28,426Winfrey#28,428

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Thelma9 variantsTuscan9 variantsspiced9 variantswaxing9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list