thrifty
/ˈθɹɪfti/adjective
thrifty is spelled T-H-R-I-F-T-Y: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,504th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, thrifty means “Showing thrift; economical; frugal” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in thrifty?
| Letters | 7: T-H-R-I-F-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,504th 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 thrifty?
Thrifty appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,504th 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 thrifty?
- /ˈθɹɪfti/
Thrifty 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-thrifty.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of thrifty
- thriftier comparative
- thriftiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does thrifty mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Showing thrift; economical; frugal.
- 2
datedThriving, prosperous, successful; (of an animal or plant) growing rapidly or vigorously.
- 3
obsoletePreserved by thrift; carefully managed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Thrifty in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense given to, or evincing, thrift:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | économe |
| German | sparsam |
| Portuguese | económico, econômico, parcimonioso |
| Spanish | ahorrador, ahorrativo |
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 thrifty come from?
From Middle English thrifty, threfty, thryfty, þrifti, equivalent to thrift + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).