swanky
swan·ky/ˈswæŋki/adjective, noun
swanky is spelled S-W-A-N-K-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (swan·ky). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, swanky means “Rather posh, elegant, ritzy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in swanky?
| Letters | 6: S-W-A-N-K-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: swan·ky |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is swanky?
Swanky appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th 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 swanky?
- /ˈswæŋki/
- /ˈsweɪ̯ŋki/
- /ˈswɛ̃ŋki/
Swanky has 2 syllables, split swan·ky in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-swanky.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of swanky
- swankier comparative
- swankiest superlative
- swankies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does swanky mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
informalRather posh, elegant, ritzy.
noun
- 1
Alternative form of swankie.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Swanky in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense posh; elegant; ritzy:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | classe, élégant |
| German | protzig, angeberisch, piekfein, herausgeputzt, schick |
| Spanish | elegante, ricachon |
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 swanky come from?
From swank + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).