Letters and spelling
This list is built for spelling practice around the letter pattern ous, which shows up at the end of many English adjectives. It suits spelling bee preparation, word-pattern drills, or anyone who mixes up how ous words are spelled. Say each word aloud while looking at the letters to reinforce the pattern.
| Word | Meaning | In a sentence | Save |
|---|---|---|---|
| joyousadjective | Full of happiness and delight; causing or expressing great joy. | The wedding was a joyous occasion filled with laughter and dancing late into the night. | |
| graciousadjective | Kind, courteous, and pleasant, especially toward people of lower status or in a difficult situation. | Our host was gracious enough to let us stay an extra night when our flight was cancelled. | |
| spaciousadjective | Having a lot of open space, especially inside a room, building, or vehicle. | Their new apartment has a spacious kitchen with plenty of counter space. | |
| cautiousadjective | Careful to avoid danger, mistakes, or unwanted results. | We took a cautious step onto the slippery path. | |
| tediousadjective | Long, slow, and monotonous in a way that causes boredom or fatigue. | Filling out the same form for every client became a tedious part of the job. | |
| obnoxiousadjective | Extremely unpleasant, rude, or annoying in a way that provokes strong dislike. | The obnoxious customer shouted at the waiter over a minor billing mistake. | |
| notoriousadjective | Widely known for some bad quality or deed. | The pirate was notorious for his cruelty toward captured sailors. | |
| laboriousadjective | Requiring a great deal of effort, time, or hard work. | Restoring the old farmhouse turned out to be a laborious process that took two years. | |
| mysteriousadjective | Difficult to understand, explain, or identify; strange and puzzling. | A mysterious light appeared over the hills every night that summer. | |
| nutritiousadjective | Containing substances the body needs to be healthy and to grow properly. | She packed a nutritious lunch of fruit, whole grains, and lean protein. | |
| prestigiousadjective | Widely respected and admired as being important, successful, or of high quality. | She was accepted into a prestigious university known for its research. | |
| rebelliousadjective | Resisting or defying authority, control, or convention. | The rebellious teenager refused to follow the school's strict dress code. | |
| sensuousadjective | Relating to or affecting the senses in a rich, pleasurable way, especially through beauty, texture, or sound. | The sensuous melody of the cello filled the concert hall with warmth. | |
| strenuousadjective | Requiring or showing great physical or mental effort. | The doctor advised him to avoid strenuous exercise until his knee fully healed. | |
| tremendousadjective | Very great in size, amount, or degree; extremely impressive. | The charity raised a tremendous amount of money during last year's fundraiser. | |
| ubiquitousadjective | Found in so many places that it seems to be everywhere. | Bright yellow umbrellas were ubiquitous along the rainy shopping street. | |
| vivaciousadjective | Full of energy, enthusiasm, and high spirits, especially in a lively, attractive way. | The vivacious host kept the party lively with jokes and stories all evening. | |
| wondrousadjective | Inspiring a feeling of wonder or amazement; marvelous. | The northern lights created a wondrous display of color across the night sky. | |
| zealousadjective | Showing great energy and enthusiasm in pursuing a cause, goal, or belief. | The zealous volunteers spent every weekend cleaning up the local river. | |
| anonymousadjective | Not identified by name; of unknown or withheld identity. | An anonymous donor paid off the medical bills for every patient on the ward. | |
| autonomousadjective | Able to act or govern independently, without external control. | The self-driving car navigated the city streets as a fully autonomous vehicle. | |
| fabulousadjective | Extremely good, pleasing, or impressive in a way that delights people; wonderful. | We had a fabulous time exploring the old city on foot. | |
| hilariousadjective | Extremely funny; causing great amusement or laughter. | The comedian's impression of the weather forecaster was absolutely hilarious. | |
| marvelousadjective | Extremely good, impressive, or wonderful. | We had a marvelous time exploring the old city on foot. | |
| monstrousadjective | Extremely large, ugly, or frightening in appearance, or shockingly wrong and cruel in nature. | A monstrous wave crashed over the ship's deck during the storm. | |
| outrageousadjective | Shockingly excessive, unacceptable, or unjust, often provoking anger or disbelief. | The restaurant charged an outrageous price for a simple bowl of soup. | |
| ridiculousadjective | So unreasonable, absurd, or foolish that it deserves mockery or disbelief. | It's ridiculous to expect everyone to finish the project in just one day. | |
| suspiciousadjective | Feeling or causing a belief that something is wrong or someone is dishonest. | The guard grew suspicious when the same car circled the parking lot three times. | |
| tenaciousadjective | Holding firmly to a purpose, belief, or course of action despite difficulty or opposition. | Her tenacious pursuit of the scholarship finally paid off after three attempts. | |
| voraciousadjective | Having a very large appetite for food or for an activity, often to an extreme degree. | The voracious teenager finished two full plates before anyone else had started dessert. |
No matching words in this collection.
Some ous words are straightforward, like joyous, while others hide the pattern behind extra letters, such as gracious or ambitious, where the sound comes from -cious or -tious rather than a plain ous. Noticing these variations helps spellers avoid common mistakes and recognize that the ending usually sounds like uhs no matter how it is spelled.