icy
/ˈaɪsi/adjective
icy is spelled I-C-Y: 3 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Icy, the name). As an adjective, icy means “Pertaining to, resembling, or abounding in ice; cold; frosty” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in icy?
| Letters | 3: I-C-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 14,106th 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 icy?
Icy appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Icy, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce icy?
- /ˈaɪsi/
Icy 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-icy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of icy
- icier comparative
- iciest superlative
- icey rare
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does icy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Pertaining to, resembling, or abounding in ice; cold; frosty.
- 2
Covered with ice, wholly or partially.
- 3
Characterized by coldness of manner; frigid; cold.
- 4
USslangTo be wearing an excessive amount of jewelry, especially of the high-quality and expensive kind.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Icy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | glacé, glacial , gelé |
| German | eisig, Eis- |
| Portuguese | gélido , congelado |
| Spanish | helado , cubierto de hielo |
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 icy come from?
From ice + -y; cf. Old English īsiġ.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).