spiffy
/ˈspɪfi/adjective, noun
spiffy is spelled S-P-I-F-F-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 61,481st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, spiffy means “Dapper; fine or neat, especially in style of clothing or other appearance” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in spiffy?
| Letters | 6: S-P-I-F-F-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 61,481st 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 spiffy?
Spiffy appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 61,481st 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 spiffy?
- /ˈspɪfi/
Spiffy 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)-Vealhurl-spiffy.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-spiffy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of spiffy
- spiffier comparative
- spiffiest superlative
- spiffies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does spiffy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
informalDapper; fine or neat, especially in style of clothing or other appearance.
noun
- 1
informalA dapper person.
noun
- 1
A spring-wire collar stay, worn by men.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Spiffy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense dapper, fine or neat:
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 spiffy come from?
Unknown. Attested in print from 1852 (see quotations below). Compare the noun spiff, attested from 1859, as well as spiffing (1872) and spiffed (1881), suggesting participle forms of a related verb. Compare also spiv (“a smartly-dressed criminal”), attested from the 20th century.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).