burdensome

/ˈbɜː.dən.səm/

//ˈbɜː.dən.səm// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"burdensome" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“burdensome” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,810. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,810
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Characteristic of a burden; arduous or demanding

Corpus desk

Index EN-burdensome · burdensome · English

burdensome · rank #34,810 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,810
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Budd

Nearest frequency peer: Budd (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “burdensome”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “burdensome” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for burdensome
PropertyValue
Headwordburdensome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈbɜː.dən.səm/
Letters10
Frequency rank#34,810
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “burdensome”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).burdensomelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Budd” (#34,809), “burley” (#34,811), “buckles” (#34,808). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “burdensome” is #34,810. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around burdensome (IPA /ˈbɜː.dən.səm/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #34,810 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Characteristic of a burden; arduous or demanding".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for burdensome, with forms such as "bburdensome", "brudensome", and "budrensome". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From burden + -some. The correct English form is burdensome, spelled B-U-R-D-E-N-S-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Characteristic of a burden; arduous or demanding

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how burdensome appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. . . . reap a pleasure from what, to the generality of mankind, may seem burdensome and laborious.
  2. Finally, there are the commuter trains. Both companies operate these around the big cities and both find them burdensome, owing to the lack of off-peak travel.

Etymology

From burden + -some.

Synonyms

arduousdemandingexactingoneroustaxingbackbreakingburdenousburdensomecumbersomecumbrousgruellinglaboriousnimiousoperoseoppressivestrenuouswearing

This word in other languages

exigente(Español)pénible(Français)beschwerlich(Deutsch)exigente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bburdensome
  • brudensome
  • budrensome
  • burddensome
  • burdennsome
  • burdenosme
  • burdensmoe
  • burdensoem
  • burdensomme
  • burdenssome
  • burdesnome
  • burdnesome
  • burednsome
  • burrdensome
  • ubrdensome

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of burdensome - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bburdensome1brudensome2budrensome2burddensome1burdennsome1burdenosme2burdensmoe2burdensoem2
Edit distance from "burdensome"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "burdensome"?
"burdensome" is spelled B-U-R-D-E-N-S-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɜː.dən.səm/.
What does "burdensome" mean?
As an adjective, "burdensome" means: Characteristic of a burden; arduous or demanding
What are common misspellings of "burdensome"?
Common misspellings include "bburdensome", "brudensome", "budrensome", "burddensome", "burdennsome". The correct spelling is "burdensome".
How do you pronounce "burdensome"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "burdensome" is /ˈbɜː.dən.səm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "burdensome"?
From burden + -some. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "burdensome", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

brainstorm#34,805Binghamton#34,798Belleville#34,793Corinthian#34,839

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

ambulatory15 variantsabsolution15 variantsabominable15 variantsZimbabwean15 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list