nitpick

/ˈnɪt.pɪk/

//ˈnɪt.pɪk// verb

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

"nitpick" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nitpick” is uncommon English (frequency #81,628 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,628
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To correct insignificant mistakes or find fault in unimportant details.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nitpick · nitpick · English

nitpick · rank #81,628 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,628
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Newtownards

Nearest frequency peer: Newtownards (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “nitpick”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “nitpick” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nitpick
PropertyValue
Headwordnitpick
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈnɪt.pɪk/
Letters7
Frequency rank#81,628
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nitpick” in English

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

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Newtownards” (#81,627), “newsgroup” (#81,626), “neurologically” (#81,625). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nitpick” is #81,628. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nitpick is uncommon English at frequency #81,628 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈnɪt.pɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for nitpick, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From nit + pick, originally referring to literally removing invisibly tiny louse eggs by hand. The correct English form is nitpick, spelled N-I-T-P-I-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To correct insignificant mistakes or find fault in unimportant details.
  2. 2
    To pick nits (lice eggs) from someone’s hair.
  3. 3
    To pick nits (lice eggs) from someone’s hair. I nitpicked his hair.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Someone will invariably nitpick about any spelling error posted to the forums.
  2. But Pirates! comes with all the usual Aardman strengths intact, particularly the sense that its characters and creators alike are too good-hearted and sweet to nitpick. The ambition is all in the craft rather than in the storytelling, but it’s hard to say no to the proficiency of that craft, or the mild good cheer behind it.

Etymology

From nit + pick, originally referring to literally removing invisibly tiny louse eggs by hand.

This word in other languages

buscarle la quinta pata al gato(Español)pinailler(Français)herumnörgeln(Deutsch)implicar(Português)

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 "nitpick"?
"nitpick" is spelled N-I-T-P-I-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɪt.pɪk/.
What does "nitpick" mean?
As a verb, "nitpick" means: To correct insignificant mistakes or find fault in unimportant details.
How do you pronounce "nitpick"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nitpick" is /ˈnɪt.pɪk/. 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 "nitpick"?
From nit + pick, originally referring to literally removing invisibly tiny louse eggs by hand. 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 "nitpick", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

naphtha#81,620Nahuatl#81,617Mountie#81,599outsell#81,661

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list