gypsy
/ˈd͡ʒɪp.si/noun, adjective, verb
gypsy is spelled G-Y-P-S-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, gypsy means “An itinerant person or any person, not necessarily Romani; a tinker, a traveller or a carny” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of gypsy is gypsies.
How many letters and syllables are in gypsy?
| Letters | 5: G-Y-P-S-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 13,897th 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 gypsy?
Gypsy appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th 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 gypsy?
- /ˈd͡ʒɪp.si/
Gypsy 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-gypsy.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-Gypsy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of gypsy
- gypsies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- gypsying participle, present
- gypsied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gypsy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
colloquialAn itinerant person or any person, not necessarily Romani; a tinker, a traveller or a carny.
- 2
offensiveA move in contra dancing in which two dancers walk in a circle around each other while maintaining eye contact (but not touching as in a swing). (Compare whole gyp, half gyp, and gypsy meltdown, in which this step precedes a swing.)
- 3
A member of a Broadway musical chorus line.
- 4
datedA person with a dark complexion.
- 5
datedA sly, roguish woman.
- 6
colloquialdatedA fortune teller.
- 7
offensiveAlternative letter-case form of Gypsy (“a member of the Romani people”).
adjective
- 1
Alternative form of Gypsy: of or belonging to the Rom, Dom or Lom people.
- 2
offensiveOf or having the qualities of an itinerant person or group with qualities traditionally ascribed to Romani people; making a living from dishonest practices or theft etc.
verb
- 1
To roam around the country like a gypsy.
- 2
To perform the gypsy step in contra dancing.
noun
- 1
offensiveA member of the Romani people, or one of the sub-groups (Roma, Sinti, Romanichal, etc).
- 2
A member of other nomadic peoples, not only of the Romani people; a traveller. Alternative spelling of gypsy.
adjective
- 1
offensiveOf or belonging to the Romani people or one of it sub-groups (Roma, Sinti, Romanichel, etc).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gypsy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gitan, tsigane, romanichel , gitane, manouche |
| German | Zigeuner, Zigeunerin |
| Portuguese | cigano, cigana |
| Spanish | gitano, gitana |
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 gypsy come from?
See Gypsy. Compare bohemian, from Bohemia.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).