skimpy
/ˈskɪmpi/adjective, noun
skimpy is spelled S-K-I-M-P-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, skimpy means “Small or inadequate; not generous; diminutive” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in skimpy?
| Letters | 6: S-K-I-M-P-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,863rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 skimpy?
Skimpy appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd 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 skimpy?
- /ˈskɪmpi/
Skimpy 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-skimpy.ogg, En-au-skimpy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of skimpy
- skimpier comparative
- skimpiest superlative
- skimpies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does skimpy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Small or inadequate; not generous; diminutive.
They served a pretty skimpy portion of ice cream as the free birthday dessert.
- 2
Very small, light, or revealing.
Have you ever seen such a skimpy bikini?
- 3
Wearing skimpy clothing; scantily clad.
noun
- 1
AustraliaA barmaid who wears little clothing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Skimpy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense small or inadequate; not generous:
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 skimpy come from?
From skimp + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).