tidy
/ˈtaɪ.di/adjective, verb, noun, interjection
tidy is spelled T-I-D-Y: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, tidy means “Arranged neatly and in order” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tidy?
| Letters | 4: T-I-D-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.4 times per million words; the 14,307th 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 tidy?
Tidy appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th 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 tidy?
- /ˈtaɪ.di/
Tidy 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-tidy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tidy
- tidier comparative
- tidiest superlative
- tidies present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- tidying participle, present
- tidied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tidy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Arranged neatly and in order.
She always kept her desk immaculately tidy; nothing was ever out of place.
- 2
Not messy; neat and controlled.
Keep Britain tidy by picking up litter.
- 3
colloquialSatisfactory; comfortable.
- 4
colloquialGenerous, considerable.
The scheme made a tidy profit.
- 5
obsoleteIn good time; at the right time; timely; seasonable; opportune; favourable; fit; suitable.
- 6
obsoleteBrave; smart; skillful; fine; good.
- 7
Appropriate or suitable as regards occasion, circumstances, arrangement, or order.
- 8
Normalized in a certain way that optimizes for data analysis.
verb
- 1
To make tidy; to neaten.
noun
- 1
A container or other device for storing or organizing loose items in a tidy fashion.
desk tidy; sink tidy; cable tidy
- 2
A cover, often of tatting, drawn work, or other ornamental work, for the back of a chair, the arms of a sofa, etc.
- 3
datedA child's pinafore.
- 4
The wren.
interjection
- 1
Expression of agreement or positive acknowledgement, usually in reply to a question; great, fine.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tidy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense arranged neatly:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ordonné, net |
| German | sauber, ordentlich, gepflegt, nett, adrett |
| Portuguese | limpo, ordenado, arrumado, asseado, limpado |
| Spanish | pulcro, prolijo, aseado, adecentado, arreglado |
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 tidy come from?
From Middle English tidy, tydy, tidi (“timely, seasonal, opportune”), from tide (“time”) + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian tiedig (“timely, early”), Dutch tijdig (“timely”), German Low German tiedig (“timely”), German zeitig (“seasonal, timely”), Danish tidig (“timely”), Swedish tidig (“timely”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).