Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

famous

/ˈfeɪ.məs/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.84 in modern English

Syllables
fa-mous
IPA
/ˈfeɪ.məs/
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Well known.

adj

In the public eye.

adj

Excellent.

verb

To make famous; to bring renown to.

Obsolete; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English famous, from Anglo-Norman famous, from Latin fāmōsus, equivalent to fame + -ous. Displaced native Old English hlīsful.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: famous, fāmōsus

Usage

Inflected Forms

more famous (comparative) most famous (superlative) famouses (present, singular) famousing (participle, present) famoused (participle, past) famoused (past)

Derived Forms

cosfamous famousish famously famousness gaymous infamous infamously infamousness instafamous megafamous microfamous nonfamousness

Phrases

e-famous famous for being famous famous last words horse famous Internet famous non-famous pre-famous pseudo-famous

Frequently Paired Words

fame famed glory praise big cheese big-name celebrity megastar

Synonyms

bait fabled famed famous famoused iconic irrecondite known legendary mere notable noted

Antonyms

normal unfamous unknown

Rhymes With

amos seamus squamous shamus ignoramus ramus mandamus world-famous hamous

Questions

How do you pronounce famous?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfeɪ.məs/.
What does famous mean?
Well known.
Where does famous come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce famous

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