painkiller

/ˈpeɪnˌkɪlə(ɹ)/

//ˈpeɪnˌkɪlə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“painkiller” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,540. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,540
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A drug that numbs the pain in the body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-painkiller · painkiller · English

painkiller · rank #38,540 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,540
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH PAH

Nearest frequency peer: PAH (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “painkiller”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “painkiller” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for painkiller
PropertyValue
Headwordpainkiller
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpeɪnˌkɪlə(ɹ)/
Letters10
Frequency rank#38,540
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “painkiller”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).painkillerlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “PAH” (#38,539), “panchayat” (#38,541), “PAG” (#38,538). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “painkiller” is #38,540. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around painkiller (IPA /ˈpeɪnˌkɪlə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #38,540 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A drug that numbs the pain in the body.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for painkiller, with forms such as "apinkiller", "paikniller", and "painikller". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From pain + killer. The correct English form is painkiller, spelled P-A-I-N-K-I-L-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A drug that numbs the pain in the body.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonym: analgesia
  2. While taking one pill and dying is rare, dying accidentally after using painkillers inappropriately is common. […] The prescription painkiller Emily Jackson took is a respiratory depressant that slows breathing. That in combination with the alcohol, another respiratory depressant, overwhelmed her brain, which stopped giving her heart and lungs the signal…

Etymology

From pain + killer.

This word in other languages

analgésico(Español)analgésique(Français)Schmerzmittel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apinkiller
  • paikniller
  • painikller
  • painkilelr
  • painkiler
  • painkillerr
  • painkillre
  • painkkiller
  • painkliler
  • painnkiller
  • panikiller
  • piankiller
  • ppainkiller

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of painkiller - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

apinkiller2paikniller2painikller2painkilelr2painkiler1painkillerr1painkillre2painkkiller1
Edit distance from "painkiller"

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 "painkiller"?
"painkiller" is spelled P-A-I-N-K-I-L-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpeɪnˌkɪlə(ɹ)/.
What does "painkiller" mean?
As a noun, "painkiller" means: A drug that numbs the pain in the body.
What are common misspellings of "painkiller"?
Common misspellings include "apinkiller", "paikniller", "painikller", "painkilelr", "painkiler". The correct spelling is "painkiller".
How do you pronounce "painkiller"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "painkiller" is /ˈpeɪnˌkɪlə(ɹ)/. 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 "painkiller"?
From pain + killer. 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 "painkiller", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

permissive#38,551rapporteur#38,574redeemable#38,579refraction#38,582

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

pushback13 variantsmightily13 variantsstipulate13 variantsswatches13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list