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PlainSpell

fancy

/ˈfæn.si/noun, adjective, adverb, verb

fancy is spelled F-A-N-C-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 22 times per million words in written English, the 3,939th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fancy means “The imagination” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fancy is fancies.

How many letters and syllables are in fancy?

Letters5: F-A-N-C-Y
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing22 times per million words; the 3,939th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 fancy?

Fancy appears 22 times per million words in written English, the 3,939th 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 fancy?

  • /ˈfæn.si/

Fancy 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-fancy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of fancy

  • fancies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • fancier comparative
  • fanciest superlative
  • fancying participle, present
  • fancied participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does fancy mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    The imagination.

  2. 2

    An image or representation of anything formed in the mind.

  3. 3

    An opinion or notion formed without much reflection.

  4. 4

    A whim.

    I had a fancy to learn to play the flute.

  5. 5

    Love or amorous attachment.

  6. 6

    Liking.

    He took a fancy to the goods in the window.

  7. 7

    The object of inclination or liking.

  8. 8

    Any sport or hobby pursued by a group.

    Trainspotting is the fancy of a special lot.

adjective

  1. 1

    Decorative, or featuring decorations, especially intricate or diverse ones.

    This is a fancy shawl.

  2. 2

    Of a superior grade.

    This box contains bottles of the fancy grade of jelly.

  3. 3

    Executed with skill.

    He initiated the game-winning play with a fancy deked saucer pass to the winger.

  4. 4

    colloquialUnnecessarily complicated.

    I'm not keen on him and his fancy ideas.

  5. 5

    obsoleteExtravagant; above real value.

adverb

  1. 1

    nonstandardIn a fancy manner; fancily.

verb

  1. 1

    To appreciate without jealousy or greed.

    I fancy your new car, but I like my old one just fine.

  2. 2

    UKWould like; have a desire for.

    I fancy a burger tonight for dinner.

  3. 3

    UKinformalTo be sexually, aesthetically or romantically attracted to.

    I fancy that girl over there.

  4. 4

    datedTo imagine, suppose.

    [dated] I fancy you'll want something to drink after your long journey.

  5. 5

    To form a conception of; to portray in the mind.

  6. 6

    To have a fancy for; to like; to be pleased with, particularly on account of external appearance or manners.

  7. 7

    To breed (animals) as a hobby.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate fancy?

Wiktionary records one abbreviation of fancy: fcy..

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Fancy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
GermanVorstellungskraft, Einbildungskraft, Fantasie (The imagination; the image-making power of the…), Vorstellung, Einbildung, Idee (An image formed in the mind)
Portuguesefantasia (The imagination; the image-making power of the…), mania (Any sport or hobby pursued by a group)
Spanishfantasía, magín (The imagination; the image-making power of the…), paltón, picudo, estrambótico, siútico (decorative)
Frenchfantaisie (decorative), de fantaisie (Of a superior grade)

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 fancy come from?

From Middle English fansy, fantsy, a contraction of fantasy, fantasye, fantasie, from Old French fantasie, from Medieval Latin fantasia, from Late Latin phantasia (“an idea, notion, fancy, phantasm”), from Ancient Greek φαντασία (phantasía), from φαντάζω (phantázō, “to render visible”), from φαντός (phantós, “visible”), from φαίνω (phaínō, “to make visible”); from the same root as φάος (pháos, “light”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰh₂nyéti, from the root *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”). Doublet of fantasia, fantasy, phantasia, and phantasy.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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