How to spell cautious

hear itcau·tious/'kɔʃəs/adjectiveSchwa and roots

What it means: Careful to avoid potential problems or dangers.

In a sentence: The cautious cat tiptoed around the puddle.

The part people get wrong

Often misspelled as cautius or cautous.

Same family: caution, cautiously, incautious, precaution, careful. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Cautious” comes from the Latin word *cautus*, meaning “careful” or “on one’s guard.” It is closely related to the noun “caution,” which originally meant a warning or safeguard.

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