cowboy
/ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ/noun, verb
cowboy is spelled C-O-W-B-O-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 7.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cowboy means “A man who tends free-range cattle, especially in the American West” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cowboy is cowboys.
How many letters and syllables are in cowboy?
| Letters | 6: C-O-W-B-O-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 7.1 times per million words; the 8,918th 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 cowboy?
Cowboy appears 7.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,918th 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 cowboy?
- /ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ/
Cowboy 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-au-cowboy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cowboy
- cowboys plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cowboying participle, present
- cowboyed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cowboy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A man who tends free-range cattle, especially in the American West.
- 2
A man who identifies with cowboy culture, including wearing a cowboy hat and being a fan of country and western music.
- 3
obsoleteA young lad employed to tend to cattle.
- 4
informalA person who engages in reckless behavior, especially for the purpose of showing off.
- 5
UKinformalA dishonest or incompetent independent tradesman.
- 6
slangA playing card of king rank.
- 7
Ellipsis of cowboy pool.
verb
- 1
To work as a cowboy, herding cattle.
Derwood Bailey cowboyed for 50 cents a day, a noon meal, and a gallon of oats for his horse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cowboy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cow-boy, cowboy, vacher |
| German | Cowboy, Kuhhirte |
| Portuguese | vaqueiro, caubói , peão , machão |
| Spanish | vaquero, gaucho, huaso, llanero |
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 cowboy come from?
From cow + boy. More on Wikipedia.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).