sturdy
/ˈstɜrdi/adjective, noun
sturdy is spelled S-T-U-R-D-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, sturdy means “Of firm build; stiff; stout; strong” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sturdy?
| Letters | 6: S-T-U-R-D-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is sturdy?
Sturdy appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th 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 sturdy?
- UK /ˈstɜːdi/
- US /ˈstɜrdi/
Sturdy 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-sturdy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sturdy?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sturdy from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹdi/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of sturdy
- sturdier comparative
- sturdiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sturdy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of firm build; stiff; stout; strong.
a sturdy oak tree
- 2
Solid in structure or person.
It was a sturdy building, able to withstand strong winds and cold weather.
- 3
obsoleteFoolishly obstinate or resolute; stubborn.
- 4
Resolute, in a good sense; or firm, unyielding quality.
a man of sturdy piety or patriotism
noun
- 1
A disease caused by a coenurus infestation in the brain of an animal, especially a sheep or canid; coenurosis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sturdy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | solide , costaud, robuste |
| German | robust , stabil , stur, verstockt |
| Portuguese | firme , robusto |
| Spanish | recio, sólido, robusto, fuerte |
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 sturdy come from?
From Middle English sturdy, stourdy, stordy (“bold, valiant, strong, stern, fierce, rebellious”) (perhaps influenced by Middle English sture, stoure, stor (“strong, robust, harsh, stern, violent, fierce, sturdy”); see English stour), from Old French estourdi (“dazed”), form of estourdir, originally “to daze, to make tipsy (almost drunk)” (Modern French étourdir (“to daze, to make tipsy”)), from Vulgar Latin *exturdire. Latin etymology is unclear – presumably it is ex- + turdus (“thrush (bird)”), but how this should mean “daze” is unclear.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).