canny
/ˈkæni/adjective, adverb
canny is spelled C-A-N-N-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,236th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, canny means “Careful, prudent, cautious” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in canny?
| Letters | 5: C-A-N-N-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 33,236th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
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 canny?
Canny appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,236th 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 canny?
- /ˈkæni/
Canny 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-canny.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with canny
Sounds like: kanny (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of canny
- cannier comparative
- canniest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does canny mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Careful, prudent, cautious.
The politician gave a canny response to the reporter’s questions.
- 2
Knowing, shrewd, astute.
The canny lawyer knew just how to get what he wanted.
- 3
Frugal, thrifty.
canny investments
- 4
ScotlandFriendly, pleasant, fair, agreeable; (sometimes) funny.
She’s a canny lass hor like!
- 5
ScotlandGentle, quiet, steady.
a canny horse
- 6
proscribedNatural, normal.
- 7
Sounding as if it is coming through a tin can.
The rear sounds sounded canny compared to the front ones. And you also have to adjust the volume so both pair of speakers are at the same level, […]
adverb
- 1
Very, considerably; quite, rather.
a canny long journey
- 2
ScotlandGently, quietly; carefully, skilfully.
he sits very canny
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Canny in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | prudent , rusé, astucieux |
| German | vorsichtig , schlau, pfiffig, verschmitzt , völlig, sehr |
| Spanish | cauteloso , astuto |
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 canny come from?
Northern English dialect, from can (“to know”) ( + -y), from Middle English can, first and third person singular of cunnen, connen (“to be able, know how to”), from Old English cunnan (“to know how to, be able to”). Compare Scots canny, English cunny, Old English cann (“knowledge, assertion”). More at can, cunning.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).