turkey
turk·ey/ˈtɝki/noun
turkey is spelled T-U-R-K-E-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (turk·ey). It appears 36 times per million words in written English, the 2,669th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, turkey means “A wild turkey of Meleagris gallopavo” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of turkey is turkeys; Wiktionary also lists turkies (obsolete).
How many letters and syllables are in turkey?
| Letters | 6: T-U-R-K-E-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: turk·ey |
| In writing | 36 times per million words; the 2,669th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is turkey?
Turkey appears 36 times per million words in written English, the 2,669th 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 turkey?
- UK /ˈtɜːki/
- US /ˈtɝki/
Turkey has 2 syllables, split turk·ey in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-turkey.ogg, En-us-Turkey.ogg, En-au-turkey.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with turkey?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as turkey from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹki/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of turkey
- turkeys plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does turkey mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteThe guinea fowl (family Numididae).
- 2
A wild turkey of Meleagris gallopavo.
- 3
A domesticated bird of Meleagris gallopavo domesticus.
- 4
The flesh or meat of this bird eaten as food.
All week after Thanksgiving, I had turkey sandwiches for lunch.
- 5
With a distinguishing word: a bird resembling the Meleagris gallopavo (for example, the brush turkey or bush turkey (Alectura lathami), and the water turkey (Anhinga anhinga)).
- 6
An act of throwing three strikes in a row.
- 7
derogatoryslangA patient feigning symptoms; a person faking illness or injury; a malingerer.
- 8
AustraliaUSdatedslangA pack carried by a lumberman; a bindle; also, a large travel bag, a suitcase.
noun
- 1
Synonym of Turkey red (“a vibrant red dye or its color”).
- 2
obsoleteSynonym of Turkey blue (“a deep indigo dye or its color”).
adjective
- 1
Synonym of Turkey red (“dyed or colored Turkey red”).
- 2
obsoleteSynonym of Turkey blue (“dyed or colored Turkey blue”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Turkey in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dinde, dindon , viande de dinde, viande de dindon |
| German | Pute, Puter, Truthahn, Truthenne, Truthuhn, Trute |
| Portuguese | peru |
| Spanish | pavo, chompipe, chumpe, cócono, guajolote, guanajo |
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 turkey come from?
Clipping of turkey-cock and turkey-hen, originally denoting the guinea fowl, an African bird that was first imported to Europe through Turkey, but there is some controversy over the origin. The word was then transferred to the superficially similar North American bird Meleagris gallopavo.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).