bloody
/ˈblʌ.di/adjective, adverb, verb, noun
bloody is spelled B-L-O-O-D-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,444th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, bloody means “Covered in blood” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in bloody?
| Letters | 6: B-L-O-O-D-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 19 times per million words; the 4,444th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is bloody?
Bloody appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,444th 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 bloody?
- /ˈblʌ.di/
- /ˈblɜ.ɖiː/
- /ˈblɪ.diː/
Bloody has 2 syllables (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-us-bloody.ogg, En-uk-bloody.ogg, EN-AU_ck1_bloody.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bloody
- bloodier comparative
- bloodiest superlative
- bl**dy
- more bloody comparative
- most bloody superlative
- bloodies present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- bloodying participle, present
- bloodied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bloody mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Covered in blood.
All that remained of his right hand after the accident was a bloody stump.
- 2
Characterised by bloodshed.
There have been bloody battles between the two tribes.
- 3
CommonwealthIrelandUKinformalvulgarUsed as an intensifier.
Traffic in central London was a bloody mess this morning.
- 4
datedBadly behaved; unpleasant; beastly.
adverb
- 1
AustraliaIndiaIrelandUKinformalvulgarUsed to express anger, annoyance, or shock, or for emphasis.
verb
- 1
To stain with blood.
The butcher often bloodied his apron in the course of his work.
- 2
To draw blood from (one's opponent) in a fight.
- 3
To demonstrably harm (the cause of an opponent).
noun
- 1
informalEllipsis of bloody mary.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bloody in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sanglant, ensanglanté , sanglante , foutu, foutue , vachement |
| German | blutig , verdammt, verflucht , bluten lassen, bluten machen, blutig machen |
| Portuguese | ensanguentado , sangrento , puto, maldito , o puto do |
| Spanish | sangriento, ensangrentado, sanguinolento, cruento, sangrante , ensangrentar |
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 bloody come from?
From Middle English blody, blodi, from Old English blōdiġ, blōdeġ (“bloody”), from Proto-West Germanic *blōdag, from Proto-Germanic *blōþagaz (“bloody”), equivalent to blood + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bläidich, blöidig, blouderch (“bloody”), West Frisian bloedich (“bloody”), Dutch bloedig (“bloody”), German Low German blödig (“bloody”), German blutig (“bloody”), Danish blodig (“bloody”), Swedish blodig (“bloody”), Faroese blóðigur (“bloody”), Icelandic blóðugur (“bloody”). See Wikipedia for thoughts on sense evolution.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).