circonspection
French, noun/siʁ.kɔ̃s.pɛk.sjɔ̃/
circonspection is spelled C-I-R-C-O-N-S-P-E-C-T-I-O-N (14 letters) and appears about once in every 3 million words in written French, the 55,146th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Circonspection is a French feminine noun meaning “circumspection (attention to all the facts and circumstances)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Manière d’agir ou de parler de celui qui est circonspect, qui fait attention aux circonstances”.
What does circonspection mean in English?
noun
- 1
femininecircumspection (attention to all the facts and circumstances)
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Manière d’agir ou de parler de celui qui est circonspect, qui fait attention aux circonstances.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of circonspection
- circonspections plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce circonspection?
- /siʁ.kɔ̃s.pɛk.sjɔ̃/
- \siʁ.kɔ̃.spɛk.sjɔ̃\
- [ɬ͡siʁ.kɔ̃ɬ͡s.pɛk.ɬ͡sjɔ̃]
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to circonspection
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is circonspection in French?
circonspection appears about once in every 3 million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).