golly
/ˈɡɒli/interjection, noun, verb
golly is spelled G-O-L-L-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an interjection, golly means “A mild expression of surprise or enthusiasm” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in golly?
| Letters | 5: G-O-L-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 41,154th 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 golly?
Golly appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th 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 golly?
- /ˈɡɒli/
Golly 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-AU_ck1_golly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of golly
- gollies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- gollying participle, present
- gollied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does golly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
interjection
- 1
A mild expression of surprise or enthusiasm.
Golly! That was a long trip to California.
noun
- 1
A type of black rag doll.
- 2
offensiveAny dark-skinned person.
- 3
IrelandUKA galosh.
- 4
slangChewing gum.
- 5
slangSaliva or phlegm.
hack up a golly
verb
- 1
AustraliaTo spit; to force up phlegm from one's throat.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Golly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Translations:
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 golly come from?
Euphemism for God, dating from the 18th century. Possibly a compaction of “God′s body”.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).