time-consuming

adj

"time-consuming" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“time-consuming” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Using significant amounts of time, especially in an unwanted and sometimes unwarranted manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-time-consuming · time-consuming · English

time-consuming · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for time-consuming
PropertyValue
Headwordtime-consuming
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “time-consuming” in English

time-consumingranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

time-consuming is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Using significant amounts of time, especially in an unwanted and sometimes unwarranted manner.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for time-consuming, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is time-consuming, spelled T-I-M-E---C-O-N-S-U-M-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Using significant amounts of time, especially in an unwanted and sometimes unwarranted manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. However, given current sensibilities about individual privacy and data protection, the recording of oral data is becoming increasingly onerous for researchers who are obliged to navigate an often time-consuming and complex series of administrative requirements and corollary review processes in order to be granted ethics clearance.
  2. The de minimis exemption, as it’s known, allowed shipments of goods worth $800 or less to come into the United States duty-free, often more or less skipping time-consuming inspections and paperwork.

Synonyms

chronophagoustime-intensivetime-taking

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "time-consuming"?
"time-consuming" is spelled T-I-M-E---C-O-N-S-U-M-I-N-G.
What does "time-consuming" mean?
As an adjective, "time-consuming" means: Using significant amounts of time, especially in an unwanted and sometimes unwarranted manner.
What language does "time-consuming" come from?
"time-consuming" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list