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PlainSpell

shiny

/ˈʃaɪ.ni/adjective, noun

shiny is spelled S-H-I-N-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 7.6 times per million words in written English, the 8,542nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, shiny means “Reflecting light” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in shiny?

Letters5: S-H-I-N-Y
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing7.6 times per million words; the 8,542nd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 shiny?

Shiny appears 7.6 times per million words in written English, the 8,542nd 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 shiny?

  • /ˈʃaɪ.ni/

Shiny 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)-Berrely-shiny.wav, En-us-shiny.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of shiny

  • shinier comparative
  • more shiny comparative
  • shiniest superlative
  • most shiny superlative
  • shinies plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does shiny mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Reflecting light.

  2. 2

    Emitting light.

  3. 3

    colloquialExcellent; remarkable.

  4. 4

    obsoleteBright; luminous; clear; unclouded.

    When I was bound apprentice in famous Lincolnshire Full well I served my master for nigh on seven years Till I took up to poaching as you shall quickly hear Oh, 'tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.

noun

  1. 1

    informalAnything that glitters; a trinket.

  2. 2

    A desirable collectible.

  3. 3

    datedderogatoryslangA deskworker.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Shiny in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchbrillant (reflecting light)
Germanglänzend (reflecting light), leuchtend, funkelnd (emitting light), wunderbar (excellent)
Portuguesereluzente (reflecting light), brilhante (emitting light)
Spanishreluciente, refulgente (reflecting light), brillante (emitting light)

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 shiny come from?

From shine + -y (adjectival suffix).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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