ruddy
/ˈɹʌdi/adjective, adverb, noun, verb
ruddy is spelled R-U-D-D-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ruddy means “Reddish in color, especially of the face, fire, or sky” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ruddy?
| Letters | 5: R-U-D-D-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,556th 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 ruddy?
Ruddy appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,556th 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 ruddy?
- US /ˈɹʌdi/
Ruddy 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: En-us-ruddy.ogg, En-au-ruddy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ruddy?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ruddy from its last stressed vowel (/ʌdi/):
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 ruddy
- ruddier comparative
- ruddiest superlative
- ruddies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- ruddying participle, present
- ruddied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ruddy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Reddish in color, especially of the face, fire, or sky.
- 2
Robust and vigorous, like a person with a red complexion (as compared to a pale one).
in ruddy health
- 3
AustraliaUKslangA mild intensifier, expressing irritation.
adverb
- 1
UKslangA mild intensifier, expressing irritation.
noun
- 1
informalA ruddy duck.
- 2
informalA ruddy ground dove.
verb
- 1
To make reddish in colour.
The sunset ruddied our faces.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ruddy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rougeâtre |
| German | rot, rötlich , verdammt, verflixt |
| Portuguese | avermelhado |
| Spanish | rubicundo |
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 ruddy come from?
Inherited from Middle English rody, from Old English rudiġ (“reddish; ruddy”), from rudu + -iġ. By surface analysis, rud (“redness”) + -y. Compare Icelandic roði (“redness”). The British slang sense expressing irritation is presumably a euphemism for bloody.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).