timid
/ˈtɪmɪd/adjective
timid is spelled T-I-M-I-D: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,906th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, timid means “Lacking in courage or confidence” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in timid?
| Letters | 5: T-I-M-I-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.8 times per million words; the 20,906th 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 timid?
Timid appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,906th 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 timid?
- /ˈtɪmɪd/
Timid 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-timid.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of timid
- timider comparative
- more timid comparative
- timidest superlative
- most timid superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does timid mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Lacking in courage or confidence.
John's a very timid person. I doubt he'll be brave enough to face his brother.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Timid in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense lacking in courage or confidence:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | timide, craintif |
| German | furchtsam, zaghaft, zögerlich, schüchtern, befangen, ängstlich |
| Portuguese | tímido, acanhado |
| Spanish | tímido |
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 timid come from?
From Middle French timide, from Latin timidus (“full of fear, fearful, timid”), from timeō (“to fear”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).