The invention provides a pentafluorophenol preparation method, which comprises: using hexafluorobenzene and potassium hydroxide as raw materials, adding an appropriate amount of tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate, N-sulfopropyl-3-methylpyridine triflate, N-methyl-2-[(2-methylphenoxy)acetyl]hydrazinium methylthioamide and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-oxynitride to a tert-butyl alcohol aqueous solution with a mass fraction of 80-85%, heating to achieve a slight boiling state, carrying out a reflux reaction for 2-3 h, adding an appropriate amount of water, distilling to recover the tert-butyl alcohol solvent, adjusting the PH value of the remaining aqueous solution by using refined hydrochloric acid to 9-10, adsorbing with a functionalized D101 macroporous adsorption resin, acidifying with refined hydrochloric acid to achieve the PH value of 1-2, layering, distilling the upper layer water phase until no oily substance exists, collecting the distilled product, combining the collected product and the lower layer oil phase, rectifying, collecting the distillate at the temperature of 142-144 DEG C, and cooling to a room temperature to obtain the colorless and transparent crystal pentafluorophenol. According to the present invention, the preparation method has advantages of simple and reasonable process, less side reactions, high reaction yield and high product purity, and can meet the quality requirements for the preparation of the high-quality liquid crystal materials and drugs.