downy
/ˈdaʊni/adjective, noun
downy is spelled D-O-W-N-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, downy means “Having down, covered with a soft fuzzy coating as of small feathers or hair” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in downy?
| Letters | 5: D-O-W-N-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,073rd 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 downy?
Downy appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,073rd 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 downy?
- /ˈdaʊni/
Downy 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-downy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of downy
- downier comparative
- downiest superlative
- downies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does downy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having down, covered with a soft fuzzy coating as of small feathers or hair.
The chick's downy coat of feathers formed almost immediately to keep it warm.
- 2
datedslangSharp-witted, perceptive.
- 3
UKLow-spirited; down in the mouth.
noun
- 1
A blanket filled with down; a duvet.
- 2
datedslangA bed.
to do the downy (i.e. lie in bed)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Downy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense having down:
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 downy come from?
From down + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).