sleepy
/ˈsliːpi/adjective, noun, verb
sleepy is spelled S-L-E-E-P-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.8 times per million words in written English, the 11,541st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, sleepy means “Tired; feeling the need for sleep” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sleepy?
| Letters | 6: S-L-E-E-P-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.8 times per million words; the 11,541st 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 sleepy?
Sleepy appears 4.8 times per million words in written English, the 11,541st 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 sleepy?
- /ˈsliːpi/
Sleepy 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-sleepy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of sleepy
- sleepier comparative
- sleepiest superlative
- sleeby
- sleepies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sleepy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Tired; feeling the need for sleep.
- 2
Suggesting tiredness.
- 3
Tending to induce sleep.
a sleepy drink or potion
- 4
Dull; lazy.
- 5
Quiet; without bustle or activity.
a sleepy English village
noun
- 1
informalThe gum that builds up in the eye; sleep, gound.
- 2
AustraliaShingleback.
verb
- 1
To sleep.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sleepy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | somnolent, ensommeillé, ensuqué , endormi |
| German | schläfrig , verschlafen |
| Portuguese | sonolento, com sono |
| Spanish | tener sueño, cansado, adormecido, soñoliento, somnoliento, dormijoso (desus.) |
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 sleepy come from?
From Middle English slepy, from Old English *slǣpiġ (attested in unslǣpiġ (“sleepless”)), from Proto-West Germanic *slāpag (“sleepy”), equivalent to sleep + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian släipich (“sleepy”), West Frisian sliepich (“sleepy”), dialectal Dutch slapig, slepig (“sleepy”), German Low German slapig, släpig, slöpig (“sleepy”), archaic German schlafig (“sleepy”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).