virtuous

/ˈvɜːt͡ʃʊəs/

//ˈvɜːt͡ʃʊəs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“virtuous” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,698. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,698
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Full of virtue; having excellent moral character.

Corpus desk

Index EN-virtuous · virtuous · English

virtuous · rank #21,698 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,698
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH vernacular

Nearest frequency peer: vernacular (-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 “virtuous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “virtuous” 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).

virtuous vs virtues
75% similar
virtuous vs virtuoso
75% similar

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

Key facts for virtuous
PropertyValue
Headwordvirtuous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈvɜːt͡ʃʊəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#21,698
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “virtuous”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “vernacular” (#21,697), “vox” (#21,699), “vape” (#21,696). Among 969 “V” headwords, “virtuous” is #21,698. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around virtuous (IPA /ˈvɜːt͡ʃʊəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #21,698 among 969 “V” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Full of virtue; having excellent moral character.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for virtuous, with forms such as "ivrtuous", "virrtuous", and "virtouus". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "virtues", "virtuoso", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English vertuous, borrowed from Anglo-Norman vertuous, vertous, ultimately from Late Latin virtuōsus, from Latin virtūs. By surface analysis, virtue + -ous. Doublet of virtuoso and piecewise doublet of virtùous. The correct English form is virtuous, spelled V-I-R-T-U-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Full of virtue; having excellent moral character.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Successful communities need strong, selfless leaders and a virtuous people.
  2. Her virtuous, pale-blue, saucerlike eyes flooded with leviathan tears on unexpected occasions and made Yossarian mad.

Etymology

From Middle English vertuous, borrowed from Anglo-Norman vertuous, vertous, ultimately from Late Latin virtuōsus, from Latin virtūs. By surface analysis, virtue + -ous. Doublet of virtuoso and piecewise doublet of virtùous.

Synonyms

chastecontinentcorrectdelicatedecentdecorousdesertfuldeservingdutifulduteousgoodhonestinnocentmeritoriousmodestmoralnoblerightright-mindedrighteousstraightuprighteousvirtualvirtuouswell-intentionedwhole-souledworthy

Antonyms

baddishonestimmodestimmoralincontinentindecentobscenereprehensiblerisqueshamelessunchastewicked

This word in other languages

virtuoso(Español)vertueux(Français)züchtig(Deutsch)virtuoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ivrtuous
  • virrtuous
  • virtouus
  • virttuous
  • virtuosu
  • virtuouss
  • virtuuos
  • virutous
  • vitruous
  • vrituous
  • vvirtuous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of virtuous - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ivrtuous2virrtuous1virtouus2virttuous1virtuosu2virtuouss1virtuuos2virutous2
Edit distance from "virtuous"

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 "virtuous"?
"virtuous" is spelled V-I-R-T-U-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɜːt͡ʃʊəs/.
What does "virtuous" mean?
As an adjective, "virtuous" means: Full of virtue; having excellent moral character.
What words are commonly confused with "virtuous"?
"virtuous" is commonly confused with "virtues", "virtuoso". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "virtuous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "virtuous" is /ˈvɜːt͡ʃʊəs/. 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 "virtuous"?
From Middle English vertuous, borrowed from Anglo-Norman vertuous, vertous, ultimately from Late Latin virtuōsus, from Latin virtūs. By surface analysis, virtue + -ous. Doublet of virtuoso and piecewise doublet of virtùous. 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 "virtuous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

untitled#21,692warcraft#21,704trimming#21,686abrasive#21,713

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

adoptive11 variantssummarize11 variantsauspices11 variantsbeheaded11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list