pertinacious
/pɝtn̩ˈeɪʃəs/adjective
pertinacious is spelled P-E-R-T-I-N-A-C-I-O-U-S: 12 letters. It appears about once in every 85 million words in written English, the 293,966th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, pertinacious means “Holding tenaciously to an opinion or purpose” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pertinacious?
| Letters | 12: P-E-R-T-I-N-A-C-I-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 85 million words; the 293,966th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is pertinacious?
Pertinacious appears about once in every 85 million words in written English, the 293,966th 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 pertinacious?
- UK /ˌpɜːtɪˈneɪʃəs/
- US /pɝtn̩ˈeɪʃəs/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pertinacious.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with pertinacious?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pertinacious from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃəs/):
- tenacious
- audacious
- herbaceous
- ostentatious
- efficacious
- rapacious
- sebaceous
- pugnacious
- loquacious
- perspicacious
- argillaceous
- contumacious
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of pertinacious
- more pertinacious comparative
- most pertinacious superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pertinacious mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Holding tenaciously to an opinion or purpose.
- 2
Stubbornly resolute or tenacious.
[O]ne of the Dissenters, which I could, but forbear, to name appeared to Dr. Sanderson to be so bold, so troublesome, and so illogical in the dispute, as forced patient Dr. Sanderson, who was then Bishop of Lincoln, and a moderator with oth
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pertinacious in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | obstiné , tenace |
| Spanish | firme convicción , pertinaz |
| German | durchhaltend, hartnäckig |
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 pertinacious come from?
From pertinace + -ious, from Old French pertinace, from Latin pertinax, from per- (“very”) + tenax (“tenacious”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).