rickety
/ˈɹɪk.ɪ.ti/adjective
rickety is spelled R-I-C-K-E-T-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, rickety means “Of an object: not strong or sturdy, as because of poor construction or upkeep; not safe or secure” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in rickety?
| Letters | 7: R-I-C-K-E-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,680th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 rickety?
Rickety appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th 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 rickety?
- UK /ˈɹɪk.ɪ.ti/
- UK /ˈɹɪk.e.ti/
Rickety has 3 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-rickety.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with rickety?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as rickety from its last stressed vowel (/ɪkɪti/, British pronunciation):
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 rickety
- ricketier comparative
- more rickety comparative
- ricketiest superlative
- most rickety superlative
- ricketty
- rickedy
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rickety mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of an object: not strong or sturdy, as because of poor construction or upkeep; not safe or secure.
He hesitated about climbing such a small, rickety ladder.
- 2
Feeble in the joints; tottering.
The rickety old man hardly managed to climb the stairs.
- 3
Affected with or suffering from rickets; rachitic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rickety in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | branlant, délabré, boiteux , rachitique |
| German | wackelig, wacklig, klapprig, gebrechlich , tatterig |
| Portuguese | precário , raquítico |
| Spanish | enclenque, desvencijado |
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 rickety come from?
From dialectal ricket (“unstable, rickety”) + -y, and/or ricket (“to move noisily and in a reckless way”) + -y. Alternatively, and perhaps less likely, from rickets + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).