navvy
nav·vy/ˈnævi/noun, verb
navvy is spelled N-A-V-V-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables (nav·vy). It appears about once in every 25 million words in written English, the 150,355th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, navvy means “A laborer on a civil engineering project such as a canal or railroad” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of navvy is navvies.
How many letters and syllables are in navvy?
| Letters | 5: N-A-V-V-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: nav·vy |
| In writing | about once in every 25 million words; the 150,355th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is navvy?
Navvy appears about once in every 25 million words in written English, the 150,355th 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 navvy?
- /ˈnævi/
Navvy has 2 syllables, split nav·vy in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-navvy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of navvy
- navvies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- navvying participle, present
- navvied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does navvy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
UKA laborer on a civil engineering project such as a canal or railroad.
- 2
an unskilled laborer
verb
- 1
UKTo carry out physical labor on a civil engineering project.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Navvy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense laborer on a civil engineering project such as a canal or railroad:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | terrassier |
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 navvy come from?
Clipping of navigator, in reference to the navigation canals upon which these workers first toiled, + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).