varicose
/ˈvɛɹ.ə.koʊs/adjective
varicose is spelled V-A-R-I-C-O-S-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,129th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, varicose means “Abnormally swollen, dilated or knotty” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in varicose?
| Letters | 8: V-A-R-I-C-O-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 51,129th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is varicose?
Varicose appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,129th 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 varicose?
- UK /ˈvæɹ.ɪ.kəʊs/
- US /ˈvɛɹ.ə.koʊs/
Varicose has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-varicose.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of varicose
- more varicose comparative
- most varicose superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does varicose mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Abnormally swollen, dilated or knotty.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Varicose in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense abnormally swollen:
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 varicose come from?
From varix, via Middle English [Term?] from Latin varix, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wers-. By surface analysis, varic- + -ose. See also Old Church Slavonic врьхъ (vrĭxŭ, “top, peak”), Ancient Greek ἕρμα (hérma, “reef, rock, hill”), Lithuanian viršus (“top”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).