Skip to main content
PlainSpell

husky

/ˈhʌs.ki/adjective, noun

husky is spelled H-U-S-K-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, husky means “Of a voice, hoarse and rough-sounding; throaty” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in husky?

Letters5: H-U-S-K-Y
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing1.9 times per million words; the 19,825th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 husky?

Husky appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th 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 husky?

  • US /ˈhʌs.ki/

Husky 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-husky.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with husky?

One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as husky from its last stressed vowel (/ʌski/):

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 husky

  • huskier comparative
  • huskiest superlative
  • huskies plural
  • huskie

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does husky mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Of a voice, hoarse and rough-sounding; throaty.

  2. 2

    USBurly, stout; sometimes as a modifier for boys' clothing sizes that fit a large waist or chest.

  3. 3

    Abounding with husks; consisting of husks.

  4. 4

    archaicslangBelligerent; hostile and uncooperative.

noun

  1. 1

    Any of several breeds of dogs used as sled dogs.

noun

as Husky
  1. 1

    datedAn Eskimo person.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Husky in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchrauque, enroué (hoarse and rough-sounding), husky (any of several breeds of dogs used as sled dogs)
Germanheiser (hoarse and rough-sounding), Husky, Polarhund (any of several breeds of dogs used as sled dogs), stämmig, pummelig (burly, thick; fat, overweight)
Portugueseenrouquecido, rouco (hoarse and rough-sounding), husky (any of several breeds of dogs used as sled dogs)
Spanishronco, rauco, aguardentoso, aguardientoso, afónico, enronquecido (hoarse and rough-sounding)

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 husky come from?

From husk + -y; in relation to voice, from the sense "dry as a husk" or "tough as a husk".

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after husky