finicky
/ˈfɪnɪki/
"finicky" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“finicky” is uncommon English (frequency #56,122 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #56,122
- frequency rank, English
- 2,507
- “F” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting, especially about details.
Corpus desk
Index EN-finicky · finicky · English
finicky · rank #56,122 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #56,122
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,507
- PHOTO-FINISH finalise
Nearest frequency peer: finalise (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “finicky”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- filer
filer
43,881 corpus weight
- finalise
finalise
43,880 corpus weight
- finicky
finicky
43,879 corpus weight
- Firenze
Firenze
43,878 corpus weight
- flatbread
flatbread
43,877 corpus weight
- flexes
flexes
43,876 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “finicky” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | finicky |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈfɪnɪki/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #56,122 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “finicky” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
finicky is uncommon English at frequency #56,122 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈfɪnɪki/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for finicky, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From finick (“to work in a fastidious manner, wasting time over unnecessary details”) + -y. Compare finicking, finical, and dated finikin. Perhaps suggested by obsolete Dutch fijnkens (“accurately, neatly, prettily”) (modern Dutch fijntjes). Compare also Si… The correct English form is finicky, spelled F-I-N-I-C-K-Y.
Definition
- 1Fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting, especially about details.
- 2Demanding; requiring above-normal care.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how finicky appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
My editor is very finicky about punctuation. Every dot and comma has to be just right.
She has a finicky baby that's hard to feed.
Etymology
From finick (“to work in a fastidious manner, wasting time over unnecessary details”) + -y. Compare finicking, finical, and dated finikin. Perhaps suggested by obsolete Dutch fijnkens (“accurately, neatly, prettily”) (modern Dutch fijntjes). Compare also Sicilian finicchiu.
This word in other languages
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "finicky", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
What to do next
You've looked up "finicky". Here's where to go from here.
- Usage frequency rank #56,122 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "F" letter cohort. F–Z browse
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PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.