rugby
rug·by/ˈɹʌɡbi/noun, verb
rugby is spelled R-U-G-B-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables (rug·by). It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,612th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, rugby means “A form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball; rugby football. The ball cannot be handled forwards and points are scored by…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rugby is rugbies or rugbys.
How many letters and syllables are in rugby?
| Letters | 5: R-U-G-B-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: rug·by |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,612th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is rugby?
Rugby appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,612th 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 rugby?
- US /ˈɹʌɡbi/
- /ˈɹʊɡbi/
- /ˈɾʌɡbe/
Rugby has 2 syllables, split rug·by in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-rugby.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of rugby
- rugbies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- rugbying participle, present
- rugbied participle, past
- rugbys plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rugby mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball; rugby football. The ball cannot be handled forwards and points are scored by touching the ball to the ground in the area past the opponent's territory or by kicking the ball between goalposts and over a crossbar.
The scrum is a distinctive element of rugby.
- 2
The form of the game known as rugby union (see the usage note).
- 3
Ellipsis of rugby shirt (“a shirt of the kind worn by rugby players, usually short-sleeved and with a buttoned opening at the neck like a polo shirt, but with a stiffer collar”).
- 4
Rubber cement, contact cement; commonly associated with solvent abuse, as it is often used as an inhalant.
verb
- 1
To play rugby.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rugby in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball:
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 rugby come from?
From the name of Rugby School in Rugby, in Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom, where the modern game was developed in the 19th century.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).