parsimonious

/pɑː.sɪˈməʊ.ni.əs/

//pɑː.sɪˈməʊ.ni.əs// adj

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

"parsimonious" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“parsimonious” is uncommon English (frequency #77,070 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,070
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Exhibiting parsimony; sparing in the expenditure of money; frugal, possibly to excess.

Corpus desk

Index EN-parsimonious · parsimonious · English

parsimonious · rank #77,070 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,070
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH parroting

Nearest frequency peer: parroting (-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 “parsimonious”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for parsimonious
PropertyValue
Headwordparsimonious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/pɑː.sɪˈməʊ.ni.əs/
Letters12
Frequency rank#77,070
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “parsimonious” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).parsimoniousfalls 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: “parroting” (#77,069), “parallelogram” (#77,068), “paling” (#77,066). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “parsimonious” is #77,070. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

parsimonious is uncommon English at frequency #77,070 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /pɑː.sɪˈməʊ.ni.əs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for parsimonious in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From parsimony + -ious. The correct English form is parsimonious, spelled P-A-R-S-I-M-O-N-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Exhibiting parsimony; sparing in the expenditure of money; frugal, possibly to excess.
  2. 2
    Using a minimal number of assumptions, steps, or conjectures.
  3. 3
    Not conceding many goals.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He was regular in his habits, parsimonious, and industrious; but he lacked all talent needed at the bar—he had neither address, nor eloquence, nor ingenuity.
  2. Our fathers would have an economical government, even if grand people called it a parsimonious one, and taxes should be no greater than were absolutely necessary to pay for such a government.

Etymology

From parsimony + -ious.

This word in other languages

parsimonioso(Español)pincé(Français)sparsam(Deutsch)parcimonioso(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 "parsimonious"?
"parsimonious" is spelled P-A-R-S-I-M-O-N-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /pɑː.sɪˈməʊ.ni.əs/.
What does "parsimonious" mean?
As an adjective, "parsimonious" means: Exhibiting parsimony; sparing in the expenditure of money; frugal, possibly to excess.
How do you pronounce "parsimonious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "parsimonious" is /pɑː.sɪˈməʊ.ni.əs/. 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 "parsimonious"?
From parsimony + -ious. 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 "parsimonious", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

overdramatic#77,059peripherally#77,081noncommittal#77,035Ramachandran#77,123

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list