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PlainSpell

big

/bɪɡ/adjective, adverb, noun

big is spelled B-I-G: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 468 times per million words in written English, the 203rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, big means “Of great size, large” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in big?

Letters3: B-I-G
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing468 times per million words; the 203rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 big?

Big appears 468 times per million words in written English, the 203rd 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 big?

  • /bɪɡ/

Big has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-big.ogg, En-us-big.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with big

Also written: bigg.

Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with big?

No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as big.

Spelled with the same letters in another order: gib.

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 big

  • bigger comparative
  • biggest superlative
  • bigs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • bigging participle, present
  • bigged participle, past
  • bigg
  • bygg
  • bygge

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does big mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Of great size, large.

    Elephants are big animals, and they eat a lot.

  2. 2

    informalFat.

    Gosh, she is big!

  3. 3

    Large with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce.

    She was big with child.

  4. 4

    informalSpecifically, big-breasted.

  5. 5

    informalHaving a large penis.

    I'm the shortest man on the team but in the gym shower everyone can see that I'm also the biggest.

  6. 6

    informalHaving large muscles, especially visible ones such as the chest and arm muscles.

    I've been lifting weights for a full year now, but I'm finally getting big.

  7. 7

    informalAdult; (of a child) older.

    Kids should get help from big people if they want to use the kitchen.

  8. 8

    informalrareslangOld, mature. Used to imply that someone is too old for something, or acting immaturely.

adverb

  1. 1

    In a loud manner.

  2. 2

    In a boasting manner.

    He's always talking big, but he never delivers.

  3. 3

    In a large amount or to a large extent.

    He won big betting on the croquet championship.

  4. 4

    informal(modifying a preposition)

    I've always been big into sport, but I'm especially big into football.

  5. 5

    On a large scale, expansively.

    You've got to think big to succeed at Amalgamated Plumbing.

  6. 6

    colloquialHard; with great force.

    He hit him big and the guy just crumpled.

noun

  1. 1

    Someone or something that is large in stature.

  2. 2

    An important or powerful person; a celebrity; a big name.

  3. 3

    The big leagues, big time.

  4. 4

    An initiated member of a sorority or fraternity who acts as a mentor to a new member (the little).

  5. 5

    The participant in age roleplay who acts out the older role.

  6. 6

    ScotlandUKarchaicOne or more kinds of barley, especially six-rowed barley.

noun

as BIG
  1. 1

    A biological insulation garment; an air-tight, full-body suit intended to prevent the spread of contaminants.

phrase

as BIG
  1. 1

    Abbreviation of business is a game.

verb

  1. 1

    ScotlandUKarchaicTo inhabit; occupy.

  2. 2

    ScotlandUKarchaicTo locate oneself.

  3. 3

    ScotlandUKarchaicTo build; erect; fashion.

    Don't big it up.

  4. 4

    ScotlandUKarchaicTo dwell; have a dwelling.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Big in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchgrand, gros (of a great size – see also large)
Germangroß (of a great size – see also large)
Portuguesegrande (of a great size – see also large), maior, adulto (adult)
Spanishgrande (of a great size – see also large), mayor, adulto (adult)

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 big come from?

Inherited from Northern Middle English big, bigge (“powerful, strong”), possibly from a dialect of Old Norse. Ultimately perhaps a derivative of Proto-Germanic *bugja- (“swollen up, thick”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew-, *bu- (“to swell”), in which case big would be related to bogey, bugbear, and bug. Compare dialectal Norwegian bugge (“great man”), Low German Bögge, Boggelmann.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after big