chewy
/ˈt͡ʃuː.i/adjective, noun
chewy is spelled C-H-E-W-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,168th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, chewy means “Having a pliable or springy texture when chewed” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in chewy?
| Letters | 5: C-H-E-W-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,168th 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 chewy?
Chewy appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,168th 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 chewy?
- /ˈt͡ʃuː.i/
Chewy 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-chewy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with chewy
Sounds like: chewie (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Also written: chewie.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of chewy
- chewier comparative
- chewiest superlative
- chewies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does chewy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a pliable or springy texture when chewed.
I must have spent an hour gnawing on the chewy taffy.
- 2
Prone to chewing.
- 3
Full-bodied and tannic.
a chewy wine
- 4
Satisfying to solve; novel and free of crosswordese.
noun
- 1
AustraliainformalAlternative form of chewie (“chewing gum”).
- 2
USinformalA type of soft and sticky cookie.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Chewy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense having a pliable or springy texture when chewed:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | caoutchouteux, caoutchouteuse |
| German | zäh |
| Spanish | cauchudo, gomoso, recio, correoso |
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 chewy come from?
From chew + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).