racy
/ˈɹeɪsi/adjective
racy is spelled R-A-C-Y: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,176th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, racy means “Mildly risqué” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in racy?
| Letters | 4: R-A-C-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,176th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 racy?
Racy appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,176th 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 racy?
- /ˈɹeɪsi/
Racy 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-racy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with racy?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as racy.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: cray.
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 racy
- racier comparative
- raciest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does racy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Mildly risqué.
She wore a racy dress that was just barely appropriate for the occasion.
- 2
Having a strong flavor indicating origin; of distinct characteristic taste; tasting of the soil.
a racy wine
- 3
Exciting to the mind by a strong or distinctive character of thought or language; peculiar and piquant; fresh and lively.
- 4
Involving a data race or a race condition.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Racy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense lively and entertaining and typically slightly risque:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | picante, subido de tono |
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 racy come from?
From race (“having a characteristic taste (of wines, fruits, etc.)”) + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).