folksy

/fəʊksi/

//fəʊksi// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"folksy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“folksy” is uncommon English (frequency #57,387 among 18,613 “F” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,387
frequency rank, English
18,613
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Characteristic of common folk.

Key facts for folksy
PropertyValue
Headwordfolksy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/fəʊksi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#57,387
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “folksy” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). folksy lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

folksy is uncommon English at frequency #57,387 among 18,613 “F” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /fəʊksi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

folksy doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From folks + -y or folk + -sy. The correct English form is folksy, spelled F-O-L-K-S-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Characteristic of common folk.
  2. 2
    Characteristic of common folk.
  3. 3
    Characteristic of common folk.

Etymology

From folks + -y or folk + -sy.

This word in other languages

rustique(Français)volkstümlich(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "folksy"?
"folksy" is spelled F-O-L-K-S-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /fəʊksi/.
What does "folksy" mean?
As an adjective, "folksy" means: Characteristic of common folk.
How do you pronounce "folksy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "folksy" is /fəʊksi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "folksy"?
From folks + -y or folk + -sy. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “folksy”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-O-L-K-S-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fəʊksi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list