broody
/ˈbɹuːdi/adjective, noun
broody is spelled B-R-O-O-D-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 71,529th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, broody means “Of birds: sitting persistently and protectively on a nest, in order to hatch eggs” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in broody?
| Letters | 6: B-R-O-O-D-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 71,529th 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 broody?
Broody appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 71,529th 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 broody?
- /ˈbɹuːdi/
Broody 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-broody.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of broody
- broodier comparative
- more broody comparative
- broodiest superlative
- most broody superlative
- broodies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does broody mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of birds: sitting persistently and protectively on a nest, in order to hatch eggs.
a broody hen
- 2
Of any creature or person: showing an interest in raising young.
- 3
Brooding, dwelling upon one's thoughts; moody.
- 4
Gloomy.
noun
- 1
A female bird in the condition to incubate eggs; a broody hen, duck, etc.
There are six broodies in that coop.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Broody in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 broody come from?
From Middle English *brody, *brodi, from Old English brōdiġ (“broody”), equivalent to brood + -y. Cognate with German brütig (“broody”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).