nippy

/ˈnɪpi/

//ˈnɪpi// adj

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

"nippy" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“nippy” is uncommon English (frequency #60,991 among 1,534 “N” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,991
frequency rank, English
1,534
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Fast; speedy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-nippy · nippy · English

nippy · rank #60,991 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,991
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH Nila

Nearest frequency peer: Nila (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “nippy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “nippy” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for nippy
PropertyValue
Headwordnippy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈnɪpi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#60,991
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nippy” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).nippyfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Nila” (#60,990), “nishi” (#60,992), “Nikes” (#60,989). Among 1,534 “N” headwords, “nippy” is #60,991. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nippy is uncommon English at frequency #60,991 among 1,534 “N” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈnɪpi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 8 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for nippy, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From nip + -y. The correct English form is nippy, spelled N-I-P-P-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fast; speedy.
  2. 2
    Rather cold.
  3. 3
    Inclined to nip; bitey.
  4. 4
    Annoying; irritating.
  5. 5
    Sharp in taste.
  6. 6
    Spicy tasting.
  7. 7
    Curt.
  8. 8
    Parsimonious.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The jaunty 1969 crime caper about the cockney casanova of crime who pulls off a bullion heist in Turin during an England versus Italy football match using three nippy Mini Coopers—red, white and blue—speaks of a forgotten age in England[…].
  2. A Rolls Royce will not do if you need an economical, nippy car that is easy to park.

Etymology

From nip + -y.

This word in other languages

frisquet(Français)kühl(Deutsch)

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 "nippy"?
"nippy" is spelled N-I-P-P-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnɪpi/.
What does "nippy" mean?
As an adjective, "nippy" means: Fast; speedy.
How do you pronounce "nippy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nippy" is /ˈnɪpi/. 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 "nippy"?
From nip + -y. 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 "nippy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nishi#60,992Nikes#60,989Newby#60,987Patek#61,016

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list