wieldy
wiel·dy/ˈwildi/adjective
wieldy is spelled W-I-E-L-D-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (wiel·dy). It appears about once in every 85 million words in written English, the 293,966th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, wieldy means “Able to wield one's body well; active, dexterous” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in wieldy?
| Letters | 6: W-I-E-L-D-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: wiel·dy |
| In writing | about once in every 85 million words; the 293,966th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 wieldy?
Wieldy appears about once in every 85 million words in written English, the 293,966th 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 wieldy?
- UK /ˈwiːldi/
- UK [ˈwɪəldɪ]
- US /ˈwildi/
Wieldy has 2 syllables, split wiel·dy in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-wieldy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with wieldy?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as wieldy (/ildi/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: widely.
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 wieldy
- more wieldy comparative
- most wieldy superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wieldy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Able to wield one's body well; active, dexterous.
- 2
Capable of being easily wielded or managed; handy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does wieldy come from?
From Middle English weeldy, weldy (“agile, vigorous; of a shield: easy or satisfying to wield”), from welden (“to govern, preside over, reign, rule; to command, control, dominate; to dwell, reside; to accomplish, bring about; to overcome, prevail; to handle (a tool, weapon, etc.), use”). By surface analysis, wield + -y. Compare also Old English ġewielde (“controlling, dominant”), from Proto-West Germanic *waldī, from Proto-Germanic *waldiz (“manageable; powerful”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- (“to rule; powerful, strong”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).