joy
/d͡ʒɔɪ/noun, interjection, verb
joy is spelled J-O-Y: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,725th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Joy, the name). As a noun, joy means “A feeling of extreme happiness or cheerfulness, especially related to the acquisition or expectation of something good” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of joy is joys.
How many letters and syllables are in joy?
| Letters | 3: J-O-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 35 times per million words; the 2,725th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 joy?
Joy appears 35 times per million words in written English, the 2,725th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Joy, 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 joy?
- US /d͡ʒɔɪ/
- British /d͡ʒoj/
- Australia /d͡ʒoɪ/
Joy has one syllable (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-joy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with joy?
8 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as joy from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɪ/):
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 joy
- joys plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- joying participle, present
- joyed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does joy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A feeling of extreme happiness or cheerfulness, especially related to the acquisition or expectation of something good.
a child's joy on Christmas morning
- 2
Anything that causes such a feeling.
the joys and demands of parenthood
- 3
Luck or success; a positive outcome.
- 4
obsoleteThe sign or exhibition of joy; gaiety; merriment; festivity.
verb
- 1
To feel joy, to rejoice.
- 2
archaicTo enjoy.
- 3
obsoleteTo give joy to; to congratulate.
- 4
obsoleteTo gladden; to make joyful; to exhilarate.
interjection
- 1
datedExpressing appreciation and happiness.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Joy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense feeling of happiness:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | joie |
| German | Freude |
| Portuguese | alegria |
| Spanish | alegría, gozo, felicidad, júbilo, regocijo |
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 joy come from?
The noun is from Middle English joye, borrowed from Old French joie, from Late Latin gaudia, neuter plural (mistaken as feminine singular) of Latin gaudium (“joy”), from gaudēre (“to be glad, rejoice”). Doublet of jo and gaudy (“Oxford college reunion”). Displaced native Old English ġefēa. The interjection is from the noun. The verb is from Middle English joyen, joȝen, joien, from Old French jöir, from the Old French noun (see above).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).