painstaking
/ˈpeɪnˌsteɪkɪŋ/adjective, noun
painstaking is spelled P-A-I-N-S-T-A-K-I-N-G: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, painstaking means “Carefully attentive to details; studious; diligent in performing a process or procedure” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in painstaking?
| Letters | 11: P-A-I-N-S-T-A-K-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,549th 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 painstaking?
Painstaking appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th 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 painstaking?
- US /ˈpeɪnˌsteɪkɪŋ/
- US /ˈpeɪnzˌteɪkɪŋ/
- UK /ˈpeɪnzˌteɪkɪŋ/
Painstaking has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-painstaking.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of painstaking
- more painstaking comparative
- most painstaking superlative
- painstakings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does painstaking mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Carefully attentive to details; studious; diligent in performing a process or procedure.
noun
- 1
The application of careful and attentive effort.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Painstaking in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense careful attentive; diligent:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | méticuleux, méticuleuse, minutieux, minutieuse |
| German | akribisch |
| Portuguese | escrupuloso, minucioso, meticuloso |
| Spanish | esmerado, dispendioso |
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 painstaking come from?
From pains + taking; see take pains. The /ˈpeɪnˌsteɪkɪŋ/ pronunciation which dominates in the United States suggests a reanalysis of the word as pain + staking.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).