Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell painless

Painless is spelled P-A-I-N-L-E-S-S. The part people get wrong: double S.

hear itpain·less/'peɪnlɪs/adjectivePrefixes and work

What it means: Not causing any physical hurt or discomfort.

In a sentence: Going to the dentist was painless, and I got a sticker!

The part people get wrong

Watch for double s.

Same family: painful, painlessly, painkiller, ache, discomfort. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Painless” is formed from the noun “pain,” which comes from Old French and Latin words meaning punishment or suffering, plus the Old English suffix “-less,” meaning “without.” So it literally means “without pain.”

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