hairsplit
verb, noun
hairsplit is spelled H-A-I-R-S-P-L-I-T: 9 letters. As a verb, hairsplit means “To make fine distinctions concerning” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in hairsplit?
| Letters | 9: H-A-I-R-S-P-L-I-T |
|---|---|
| In writing | too rare for the frequency list |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Forms of hairsplit
- hairsplits present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- hairsplitting participle, present
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hairsplit mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make fine distinctions concerning.
- 2
To split hairs.
noun
- 1
A fine distinction.
It's an arguable distinction, but I think it's a hairsplit.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does hairsplit come from?
From hair + split; see split hairs.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).