icy

/ˈaɪsi/

//ˈaɪsi// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"icy" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“icy” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #14,141) as an adjective. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#14,141
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Pertaining to, resembling, or abounding in ice; cold; frosty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-icy · icy · English

icy · rank #14,141 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,141
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH hyped

Nearest frequency peer: hyped (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “icy”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “icy” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

icy vs in
33% similar
icy vs is
33% similar
icy vs it
33% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for icy
PropertyValue
Headwordicy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈaɪsi/
Letters3
Frequency rank#14,141
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “icy”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).icylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “hyped” (#14,140), “indulge” (#14,142), “Hussein” (#14,139). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “icy” is #14,141. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for icy is neighbouring look-alikes ("in", "is", …), not just typos; it is anadjective pronounced /ˈaɪsi/. Frequency #14,141 among 2,140 “I” headwords. 4 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

icy doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "in", "is", "it", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ice + -y; cf. Old English īsiġ. The correct English form is icy, spelled I-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pertaining to, resembling, or abounding in ice; cold; frosty.
  2. 2
    Covered with ice, wholly or partially.
  3. 3
    Characterized by coldness of manner; frigid; cold.
  4. 4
    To be wearing an excessive amount of jewelry, especially of the high-quality and expensive kind.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how icy appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. To go through this experience in bitter winter weather and stumble along the line in the pitch darkness at 6 o'clock in the morning, into an icy-cold foundry, as was the writer's experience, was not too good.
  2. With milke-white Hartes vpon an Iuorie ſled, Thou ſhalt be drawen amidſt the froſen Pooles, And ſcale the yſie mountaines lofty tops: Which with thy beautie will be soone reſolu’d.

Etymology

From ice + -y; cf. Old English īsiġ.

This word in other languages

helado(Español)glacé(Français)eisig(Deutsch)gélido(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "icy"?
"icy" is spelled I-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaɪsi/.
What does "icy" mean?
As an adjective, "icy" means: Pertaining to, resembling, or abounding in ice; cold; frosty.
What words are commonly confused with "icy"?
"icy" is commonly confused with "in", "is", "it". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "icy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "icy" is /ˈaɪsi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "icy"?
From ice + -y; cf. Old English īsiġ. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "icy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hah#14,129GPA#14,126lax#14,157pea#14,184

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list