spiny
/ˈspaɪni/adjective
spiny is spelled S-P-I-N-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, spiny means “Covered in spines or thorns” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in spiny?
| Letters | 5: S-P-I-N-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,767th 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 spiny?
Spiny appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th 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 spiny?
- /ˈspaɪni/
Spiny 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-spiny.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of spiny
- spinier comparative
- spiniest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does spiny mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Covered in spines or thorns.
- 2
Troublesome; difficult or vexing.
- 3
Like a spine in shape; slender.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Spiny in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense covered in prickles:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | piquant |
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 spiny come from?
From spine + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).