iffy
/ˈɪfi/adjective
iffy is spelled I-F-F-Y: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, iffy means “Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in iffy?
| Letters | 4: I-F-F-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,943rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 iffy?
Iffy appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd 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 iffy?
- /ˈɪfi/
Iffy 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-au-iffy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with iffy?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as iffy.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: yiff.
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 iffy
- iffier comparative
- iffiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does iffy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
slangOf dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality.
He's selling new CD players for £20 each – that sounds a bit iffy to me.
- 2
Uncertain or chancy; risky.
The weather is still iffy for Saturday's rocket launch.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Iffy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Of dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | louche |
| German | dubios, zweifelhaft |
| Portuguese | suspeito, dúbio, questionável |
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 iffy come from?
From if + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).