glossy
/ˈɡlɔsi/adjective, noun
glossy is spelled G-L-O-S-S-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, glossy means “Having a smooth, silklike, reflective (shiny) surface” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in glossy?
| Letters | 6: G-L-O-S-S-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.7 times per million words; the 16,455th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is glossy?
Glossy appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th 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 glossy?
- UK /ˈɡlɒsi/
- US /ˈɡlɔsi/
- /ˈɡlɑsi/
Glossy 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-glossy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with glossy?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as glossy from its last stressed vowel (/ɔsi/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of glossy
- glossier comparative
- glossiest superlative
- glossies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does glossy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a smooth, silklike, reflective (shiny) surface.
glossy hair
- 2
Attention-grabbing and superficially attractive.
noun
- 1
UKinformalA glossy magazine.
The supermarket glossies are full of celebrity gossip and fad diets.
- 2
informalA glossy photograph.
- 3
informalA film depicting people with glamorous lifestyles.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Glossy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense having a reflective surface:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | luisant, brillant |
| German | glänzend |
| Portuguese | lustroso |
| Spanish | brillante, lustroso, reluciente |
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 glossy come from?
From gloss + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).