hokey
/ˈhoʊki/adjective
hokey is spelled H-O-K-E-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, hokey means “Phony, as if a hoax; noticeably contrived; of obviously flimsy credibility or quality” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in hokey?
| Letters | 5: H-O-K-E-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,947th 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 hokey?
Hokey appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th 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 hokey?
- UK /ˈhəʊki/
- US /ˈhoʊki/
Hokey 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-hokey.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with hokey?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as hokey from its last stressed vowel (/oʊki/):
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 hokey
- hokier comparative
- hokiest superlative
- hokie
- hoaky
- hoky
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hokey mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
UScolloquialPhony, as if a hoax; noticeably contrived; of obviously flimsy credibility or quality.
When asked for his book report, Chad came up with a series of hokier and hokier excuses.
- 2
UScolloquialCorny; overly or unbelievably sentimental.
Terry hated going to the cinema with Pat; she always chose hokey romantic comedies that made him want to gag.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hokey in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bidon , mélo |
| German | unecht, falsch, künstlich, verlogen , schmalzig, kitschig |
| Spanish | cursi |
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 hokey come from?
From the verb hoke ("to give an artificial feel to" [from hokum]) + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).