heyday
/ˈheɪdeɪ/noun, interjection
heyday is spelled H-E-Y-D-A-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, heyday means “A period of success, popularity, or power; prime” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of heyday is heydays.
How many letters and syllables are in heyday?
| Letters | 6: H-E-Y-D-A-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 25,751st 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 heyday?
Heyday appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st 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 heyday?
- /ˈheɪdeɪ/
Heyday 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-heyday.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with heyday
Also written: heigh-day.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of heyday
- heydays plural
- hay day
- hayday
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does heyday mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A period of success, popularity, or power; prime.
The early twentieth century was the heyday of the steam locomotive.
- 2
archaicAn exultation of the spirits; gaiety; frolic.
interjection
- 1
A lively greeting.
- 2
obsoleteAn expression of frolic and exultation, and sometimes of wonder.
"Come follow me, my wags, and say, as I say. There's no riches but in rags; hey day, hey day, &c."
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Heyday in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a period of success, popularity or power:
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 heyday come from?
Late 16th century, from earlier heyda (1520s), as exclamation; compare hey, hei and Swedish hej då. Sense “period of success, vigor” is a reanalysis as heyday based on unrelated day (as “period of time”) – compare day in the sun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).