grimy
/ˈɡɹaɪmi/adjective
grimy is spelled G-R-I-M-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, grimy means “Stained or covered with grime” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in grimy?
| Letters | 5: G-R-I-M-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,863rd 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 grimy?
Grimy appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd 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 grimy?
- /ˈɡɹaɪmi/
Grimy 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-grimy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of grimy
- grimier comparative
- grimiest superlative
- grimey
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does grimy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Stained or covered with grime.
- 2
From the urban musical genre called grime.
- 3
slangMorally corrupt, malicious, vile, or selfish; base or dirty; rotten.
When I was 18 I was grimy af. I wouldn't share my food with you even if you were starving and about to die.
- 4
slangOf a beat or song, darkly atmospheric; having affinities with the style of the East Coast hip hop of the 90s, especially that of New York.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Grimy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense covered with grime:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | schmuddelig |
| Spanish | mugriento, sucio, shuco |
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 grimy come from?
From grime + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).