oily
/ˈɔɪli/adjective, noun
oily is spelled O-I-L-Y: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, oily means “Covered with or containing oil” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in oily?
| Letters | 4: O-I-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,297th 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 oily?
Oily appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th 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 oily?
- /ˈɔɪli/
Oily 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-oily.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of oily
- oilier comparative
- oiliest superlative
- oilies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does oily mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Covered with or containing oil.
oily machinery; oily rags; oily fish; oily cooking
- 2
Resembling oil.
oily swells; oily seas
- 3
Excessively friendly or polite but insincere.
Near-synonyms: slick, buttery; smarmy
noun
- 1
A marble with an oily lustre.
- 2
informalOilskins. (waterproof garment)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Oily in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | ölig , ölhaltig |
| Portuguese | oleoso, oleaginoso, oleento |
| French | huileux , onctueux |
| Spanish | aceitoso, oleaginoso, oleoso |
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 oily come from?
From Middle English oylei, equivalent to oil + -y. Compare German ölig (“oily”), Swedish oljig (“oily”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).