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dainty

/ˈdeɪnti/adjective, noun

dainty is spelled D-A-I-N-T-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, dainty means “Elegant; delicately small and pretty” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in dainty?

Letters6: D-A-I-N-T-Y
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing1.2 times per million words; the 26,420th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is dainty?

Dainty appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce dainty?

  • US /ˈdeɪnti/

Dainty has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-dainty.wav, En-us-dainty.ogg, En-dainty.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of dainty

  • daintier comparative
  • daintiest superlative
  • dainties plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does dainty mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Elegant; delicately small and pretty.

  2. 2

    Fastidious and fussy, especially when eating.

  3. 3

    obsoleteExcellent; valuable, fine.

noun

  1. 1

    A delicacy (choice or pleasing food).

  2. 2

    A fancy cookie, pastry, or square, frequently homemade, served at a social event.

  3. 3

    obsoleteEsteem, honour.

  4. 4

    obsoleteAn affectionate term of address.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Dainty in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchdélicat, mignon (delicately small and pretty)
Germanfein, delikat, zart, zierlich, niedlich (delicately small and pretty), putzig (small and pretty)
Portuguesedelicada, delicado (delicately small and pretty)
Spanishdelicado (delicately small and pretty), mañoso (fastidious and fussy when eating)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does dainty come from?

From Middle English deynte (as noun), from Old French deintié, from Latin dignitātem. Doublet of dignity.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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