valorous

/ˈvælərəs/

//ˈvælərəs// adj

"valorous" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“valorous” is uncommon English (frequency #90,036 among 969 “V” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,036
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having or displaying valour.

Corpus desk

Index EN-valorous · valorous · English

valorous · rank #90,036 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #90,036
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH valine

Nearest frequency peer: valine (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “valorous”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “valorous” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for valorous
PropertyValue
Headwordvalorous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈvælərəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#90,036
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “valorous” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).valorousfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “valine” (#90,035), “Vacaville” (#90,034), “Veloso” (#90,039). Among 969 “V” headwords, “valorous” is #90,036. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

valorous is uncommon English at frequency #90,036 among 969 “V” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈvælərəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Having or displaying valour.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for valorous, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French valeureux. The correct English form is valorous, spelled V-A-L-O-R-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having or displaying valour.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. c. 1490, William Caxton (translator), The Boke of Eneydos, Westminster, Preface, this present booke compyled by virgyle ryght subtyl and Ingenyous oratour & poete Intytuled Eneydos hath be translated oute of latyn in to comyn langage In whiche may alle valyaunt prynces and other nobles see many valorous fayttes of armes.
  2. […] he esteems himself happy that he hath fallen into the hands of one, as he thinks, the most brave, valorous, and thrice-worthy signieur of England.

Etymology

From Old French valeureux.

Synonyms

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 "valorous"?
"valorous" is spelled V-A-L-O-R-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvælərəs/.
What does "valorous" mean?
As an adjective, "valorous" means: Having or displaying valour.
How do you pronounce "valorous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "valorous" is /ˈvælərəs/. 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 "valorous"?
From Old French valeureux. 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 "valorous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list