hooky
/ˈhʊki/noun, adjective
hooky is spelled H-O-O-K-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 71,529th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hooky means “Absence from school or work; truancy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in hooky?
| Letters | 5: H-O-O-K-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 71,529th 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 hooky?
Hooky appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 71,529th 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 hooky?
- /ˈhʊki/
Hooky 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)-Flame,_not_lame-hooky.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of hooky
- hookier comparative
- hookiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hooky mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Absence from school or work; truancy.
Let's play hooky and go to the mall.
adjective
- 1
Full of hooks (in any sense).
Sew the hooky half of the Velcro on the inner side so that it doesn't pick up fluff.
- 2
Shaped like or resembling a hook; hooked.
- 3
UKslangDodgy; crooked; illicit.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does hooky come from?
First attested in 1848 in New York City. Most likely from Dutch hoekje (“nook, corner; 'spot to hide' in hide-and-seek”). Formerly, "hoekje spelen" could be used to mean "to play hide-and-seek", though the common term for the game nowadays is verstoppertje. By surface analysis, hook + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).