Ridicolous or ridiculous?
Did you mean ridiculous? Here's the right spelling and how to remember it.
Incorrect
ridicolous
Correct
ridiculous
Correct spelling: ridiculous. Misspelling: ridicolous.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
Memory tip
It comes from ridicule: RIDI-culous.
Why people write “ridicolous”
The misspelling “ridicolous” is only one letter off: it writes O where ridiculous has U, an easy slip because in an unstressed syllable both vowels can sound like the same soft "uh".
Spell-checkers catch the mistake in a document, but not in a handwritten note, a text message or a word game. Writing the word out a few times while saying the tricky part aloud is the quickest way to make ridiculous automatic.
What does “ridiculous” mean?
ridiculous adjective
- inspiring scornful pity
“how silly an ardent and unsuccessful wooer can be especially if he is getting on in years"- Dashiell Hammett”
- so unreasonable as to invite derision
“the absurd excuse that the dog ate his homework”
- broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce
“the wild farcical exuberance of a clown”
Definitions from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Full dictionary entry
“Ridiculous” in a sentence
- That's a ridiculous idea.
- How silly an ardent and unsuccessful wooer can be especially if he is getting on in years"- Dashiell Hammett.
- The absurd excuse that the dog ate his homework.
- The wild farcical exuberance of a clown.
Is “ridiculous” a playable word?
13 points in Scrabble · 17 in Words With Friends
- Scrabble (US)
- Scrabble (UK)
- Words With Friends
“ridicolous” is not accepted in any of these games. See every word you can make from RIDICULOUS.