Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cautious

/ˈkoːʃəs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.79 in modern English

Syllables
cau-tious
IPA
/ˈkoːʃəs/
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Using or exercising caution; careful; tentative

Example Sentences

Etymology

From cauti(on) + -ous. Compare Latin cautus.

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈkoːʃəs/
  • British English: /ˈkɔːʃəs/

Inflected Forms

more cautious (comparative) most cautious (superlative)

Derived Forms

cautiously cautiousness hypercautious incautious overcautious supercautious ultracautious uncautious undercautious

Frequently Paired Words

caution fastidious

Synonyms

alert attentive careful cautelous cautious canny chary circumspect conservative deliberate discreet guarded

Antonyms

careless incautious neglecting uncautious aggressive bellicose daredevil dauntless reckless

Rhymes With

nauseous incautious precautious

Questions

How do you pronounce cautious?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkoːʃəs/.
What does cautious mean?
Using or exercising caution; careful; tentative
Where does cautious come from?
From cauti(on) + -ous. Compare Latin cautus.

How to pronounce cautious

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cautious”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkoːʃəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “cautious”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “cautious” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.