frumpy
/ˈfɹʌm.pɪ/
"frumpy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“frumpy” is uncommon English (frequency #68,235 among 18,613 “F” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #68,235
- frequency rank, English
- 18,613
- “F” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Dowdy, unkempt, or unfashionable.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | frumpy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈfɹʌm.pɪ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #68,235 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “frumpy” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
frumpy is uncommon English at frequency #68,235 among 18,613 “F” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈfɹʌm.pɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for frumpy, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Either from frump or from Middle English frumple + -y. The correct English form is frumpy, spelled F-R-U-M-P-Y.
Definition
- 1Dowdy, unkempt, or unfashionable.
- 2Bad-tempered.
Etymology
Either from frump or from Middle English frumple + -y.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “frumpy”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-R-U-M-P-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈfɹʌm.pɪ/ (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.