thirsty
/ˈθɝs.ti/adjective, noun
thirsty is spelled T-H-I-R-S-T-Y: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, thirsty means “Needing to drink water or any liquid that can supply water” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in thirsty?
| Letters | 7: T-H-I-R-S-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.5 times per million words; the 10,519th 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 thirsty?
Thirsty appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th 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 thirsty?
- US /ˈθɝs.ti/
- UK /ˈθɜːs.ti/
Thirsty 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-thirsty.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of thirsty
- thirstier comparative
- thirstiest superlative
- thirsties plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does thirsty mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Needing to drink water or any liquid that can supply water.
After all that work in the hot sun, I am really thirsty.
- 2
Craving alcohol; especially, experiencing some alcohol withdrawal.
After all that work on a stupidly maintained spreadsheet, I am really thirsty.
- 3
informalCausing thirst; giving one a need to drink.
Marching is thirsty work.
- 4
Craving something immaterial.
thirsty for knowledge
- 5
slangCraving or desiring sex.
This is the third time that girl brought up her crush. She must really be thirsty for him.
noun
- 1
One who is thirsty (for a drink, sex, alcohol, etc.).
Another way to limit the use of thirsty plants […] Here small beds of flowers, azaleas, and other "thirsties" could be grown satisfactorily.
- 2
Thirst.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Thirsty in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense needing to drink:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | avoir soif, assoiffé |
| German | durstig |
| Portuguese | sequioso, sedento, com sede |
| Spanish | sediento, tener sed, sitibundo, sediente (disused) |
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 thirsty come from?
From Middle English thirsty, from Old English þurstiġ, from Proto-West Germanic *þurstug. Equivalent to thirst + -y. Cognate with Dutch dorstig, German durstig.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).