# tenuous

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈtɛn.ju.əs/ · frequency rank #28,399

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

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

## Easily confused with
- **tedious** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tedious-vs-tenuous)

## Common misspellings (9)
`etnuous`, `tennuous`, `tenouus`, `tenuosu`, `tenuouss`, `tenuuos`, `teunous`, `tneuous`, `ttenuous`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tenuous