tormentous

adj

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Involving or causing torment; having the nature of torture.

Key facts for tormentous
PropertyValue
Headwordtormentous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tormentous” sits in English frequency

tormentous falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

tormentous is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Involving or causing torment; having the nature of torture.".

tormentous has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From torment + -ous. The correct English form is tormentous, spelled T-O-R-M-E-N-T-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Involving or causing torment; having the nature of torture.

Etymology

From torment + -ous.

Synonyms

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 "tormentous"?
"tormentous" is spelled T-O-R-M-E-N-T-O-U-S.
What does "tormentous" mean?
As an adjective, "tormentous" means: Involving or causing torment; having the nature of torture.
What is the origin of the word "tormentous"?
From torment + -ous. 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.

Using “tormentous”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-O-R-M-E-N-T-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list