fastidious

/fæsˈtɪdi.əs/

//fæsˈtɪdi.əs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“fastidious” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #44,777 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#44,777
frequency rank, English
10
letters
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Excessively particular, demanding, or fussy about details, especially about tidiness and cleanliness.

Key facts for fastidious
PropertyValue
Headwordfastidious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/fæsˈtɪdi.əs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#44,777
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fastidious” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). fastidious lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for fastidious is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fæsˈtɪdi.əs/. Corpus data places it at rank #44,777 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for fastidious, with forms such as "afstidious", "fasitdious", and "fasstidious". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin fastīdiōsus (“passive: that feels disgust, disdainful, scornful, fastidious; active: that causes disgust, disgusting, loathsome”), from fastīdium (“a loathing, aversion, disgust, niceness of taste, daintiness, etc.”), perhaps for *fastut… The correct English form is fastidious, spelled F-A-S-T-I-D-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Excessively particular, demanding, or fussy about details, especially about tidiness and cleanliness.
  2. 2
    Overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness.
  3. 3
    Difficult to please; quick to find fault.
  4. 4
    Having precise requirements for nutrition and environment (chemical and physical); especially, being difficult to culture because of those requirements.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fastīdiōsus (“passive: that feels disgust, disdainful, scornful, fastidious; active: that causes disgust, disgusting, loathsome”), from fastīdium (“a loathing, aversion, disgust, niceness of taste, daintiness, etc.”), perhaps for *fastutidium, from fastus (“disdain, haughtiness, arrogance, disgust”) + taedium (“disgust”). Cf. French fastidieux.

Synonyms

anal-retentivechoosyconscientiousdaintyexactingfastidiousfinicalfinickingfinickityfinickyfinikinfussyhypercriticallily-handedmeticulousnigglynitpickishnit-pickynittyovercriticaloverscrupulousparticularpedanticpernicketypersnicketypicky

Antonyms

carelessnoncriticalnonfastidioussloppyunconscientiousuncriticalunfastidiousunfussyunmeticulous

This word in other languages

cicatero(Español)pointilleux(Français)anspruchsvoll(Deutsch)minucioso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: afstidious,fasitdious,fasstidious,fastdiious,fastiddious,fastidiosu,fastidiouss,fastidiuos,fastidoius,fastiidous,fasttidious,fatsidious,ffastidious,fsatidious

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fastidious - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

afstidious2fasitdious2fasstidious1fastdiious2fastiddious1fastidiosu2fastidiouss1fastidiuos2
Edit distance from "fastidious"

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 "fastidious"?
"fastidious" is spelled F-A-S-T-I-D-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /fæsˈtɪdi.əs/.
What does "fastidious" mean?
As an adjective, "fastidious" means: Excessively particular, demanding, or fussy about details, especially about tidiness and cleanliness.
What are common misspellings of "fastidious"?
Common misspellings include "afstidious", "fasitdious", "fasstidious", "fastdiious", "fastiddious". The correct spelling is "fastidious".
How do you pronounce "fastidious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fastidious" is /fæsˈtɪdi.əs/. 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 "fastidious"?
Borrowed from Latin fastīdiōsus (“passive: that feels disgust, disdainful, scornful, fastidious; active: that causes disgust, disgusting, loathsome”), from fastīdium (“a loathing, aversion, disgust, niceness of taste, daintiness, etc.”), perhaps f... 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.

Using “fastidious”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-A-S-T-I-D-I-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fæsˈtɪdi.əs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list