lofty
/ˈlɔːfti/adjective
lofty is spelled L-O-F-T-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, lofty means “High, tall, having great height or stature” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in lofty?
| Letters | 5: L-O-F-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,537th 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 lofty?
Lofty appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th 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 lofty?
- UK /ˈlɒfti/
- US /ˈlɔːfti/
- /ˈlɑfti/
Lofty 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-lofty.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of lofty
- loftier comparative
- loftiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lofty mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
High, tall, having great height or stature.
- 2
Idealistic, implying over-optimism.
a lofty goal
- 3
Extremely proud; arrogant; haughty.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lofty in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | haut |
| German | hoch, luftig , ambitioniert, hochgesteckt , überheblich, hochmütig |
| Portuguese | majestoso, altivo , ambicioso |
| Spanish | majestuoso, alto, elevado, sublime |
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 lofty come from?
From Middle English lofty, lofti, lofte (“of high rank; noble; ornate”), equivalent to loft (“sky, firmament; upper room”) + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).