nitpick
/ˈnɪt.pɪk/verb, noun
nitpick is spelled N-I-T-P-I-C-K: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 81,375th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, nitpick means “To correct insignificant mistakes or find fault in unimportant details” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in nitpick?
| Letters | 7: N-I-T-P-I-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 81,375th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 nitpick?
Nitpick appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 81,375th 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 nitpick?
- /ˈnɪt.pɪk/
Nitpick 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: En-us-nitpick.ogg, En-au-nitpick.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of nitpick
- nitpicks present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- nitpicking participle, present
- nitpicked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nitpick mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To correct insignificant mistakes or find fault in unimportant details.
Someone will invariably nitpick about any spelling error posted to the forums.
- 2
archaicTo pick nits (lice eggs) from someone’s hair.
- 3
archaicI nitpicked his hair.
noun
- 1
A quibble about a minor mistake or fault.
I have a few nitpicks about the grammar in your report.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nitpick in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pinailler, chercher la petite bête, chicaner, chipoter, mégoter , chercher les poux |
| German | pingelig sein, herumnörgeln , lausen |
| Portuguese | procurar pelo em ovo, implicar , catar piolho |
| Spanish | buscar el pelo en el huevo, buscarle tres pies al gato, buscarle la quinta pata al gato, cogérsela con papel de fumar |
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 nitpick come from?
From nit + pick, originally referring to literally removing tiny louse eggs by hand.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).