cagey
/ˈkeɪd͡ʒi/adjective
cagey is spelled C-A-G-E-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,074th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, cagey means “Wary, careful, shrewd” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in cagey?
| Letters | 5: C-A-G-E-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 60,074th 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 cagey?
Cagey appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,074th 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 cagey?
- /ˈkeɪd͡ʒi/
Cagey 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-cagey.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cagey
- cagier comparative
- cagiest superlative
- cagy
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cagey mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Wary, careful, shrewd.
- 2
Uncommunicative; unwilling or hesitant to give information.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cagey in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | zurückhaltend , schweigsam |
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 cagey come from?
Initially US colloquial, of unknown origin. A connection with the behavior of caged prisoners (wary and closed-lipped) and caged animals (wary) has been speculated. If so, by surface analysis, cage + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).