drowsy
/ˈdɹaʊzi/adjective
drowsy is spelled D-R-O-W-S-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,176th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, drowsy means “Inclined to drowse; heavy with sleepiness” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in drowsy?
| Letters | 6: D-R-O-W-S-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,176th 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 drowsy?
Drowsy appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,176th 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 drowsy?
- /ˈdɹaʊzi/
Drowsy 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-drowsy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of drowsy
- drowsier comparative
- drowsiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does drowsy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Inclined to drowse; heavy with sleepiness
I was feeling drowsy and so decided to make a cup of coffee to try to wake myself up.
- 2
Causing someone to fall sleep or feel sleepy; lulling; soporific.
It was a warm, drowsy summer afternoon.
- 3
Boring.
- 4
Dull; stupid.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Drowsy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ensommeillé, somnolent , soporifique , stupide |
| German | schläfrig , einschläfernd , dösig , müde, langweilig, verschlafen |
| Portuguese | sonolento, modorrento |
| Spanish | adormecido, soñoliento, somnoliento, dormijoso (desus.), adormilado, adormitado |
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 drowsy come from?
From drowse + -y, despite the fact that drowsy (1520) is recorded before drowse (1570). Compare Old English drūsian (“to droop, drowse, become languid”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).