Spelling list: Adjectives ending in ous

There are two ways of spelling the schwa in the us sound when it falls at the end of a word: us and ous.

Fortunately there is an easy trick to help you remember when to use which spelling pattern:

The spelling pattern us is used for people, places, or things; like in the words cactus, fungus, or octopus.

The ous ending, on the hand, is used for descriptive words like poisonous, jealous, and enormous.

Adjectives ending in ous are commonly used in English to describe being full of or possessing the quality of a base word. For example, ambitious means being full of ambition and curious means possessing the quality of curiosity.

adventurous	I'm trying to be more adventurous with my cooking. *
anonymous	I wonder who sent this anonymous letter.
disastrous	My first attempt at baking was disastrous. *
enormous	Elephants are enormous. *
fabulous	Spotted dresses look fabulous in the summer. *
famous	The new building was to be designed by a famous architect.
generous	The charity received a generous donation.
hazardous	He warned the hikers that it would be a hazardous climb.
jealous	She has a very jealous boyfriend.
joyous	The birth of their baby was a joyous occasion.
miraculous	He has made a miraculous recovery.
mischievous	Puck is a mischievous fairy. *
momentous	Their wedding will be a momentous occasion.
mountainous	A large part of Austria is mountainous.
nervous	I am nervous about the test. *
numerous	He has had numerous offers of employment.
prosperous	The film star is marrying a prosperous banker.
ravenous	I missed my lunch and now I'm ravenous.
ridiculous	She thought his idea was ridiculous.
tremendous	The thunder made a tremendous noise. *