witty
/ˈwɪti/adjective
witty is spelled W-I-T-T-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.6 times per million words in written English, the 13,695th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, witty means “Clever; amusingly ingenious” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in witty?
| Letters | 5: W-I-T-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.6 times per million words; the 13,695th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 witty?
Witty appears 3.6 times per million words in written English, the 13,695th 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 witty?
- UK /ˈwɪti/
- US /ˈwɪti/
- US [ˈwɪɾi]
Witty 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-witty.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with witty?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as witty from its last stressed vowel (/ɪti/):
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 witty
- wittier comparative
- wittiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does witty mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Clever; amusingly ingenious.
His speech was both witty and informative.
- 2
Full of wit.
His frequent quips mark him as particularly witty.
- 3
Quick of mind; insightful; in possession of wits.
She may have grown older, but she has grown no less witty.
- 4
obsoleteWise, having good judgement.
- 5
archaicPossessing a strong intellect or intellectual capacity; intelligent, skilful, ingenious.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Witty in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | witzig, geistreich , originell |
| Portuguese | sábio , engenhoso, espirituoso , arguto |
| Spanish | chispeante, donairoso, donoso , ingenioso |
| French | fin , spirituel |
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 witty come from?
From Middle English witty, witti, from Old English wittiġ, witiġ, ġewittiġ (“clever, wise”), from Proto-West Germanic *witīg, *witag, from Proto-Germanic *witagaz, *wītagaz (“knowing, wise, clever”), equivalent to wit + -y. Cognate with Middle Low German wittich, gewittich (“knowing, clever, wise, understanding”), German witzig (“funny, witty”), Norwegian Bokmål vettig, Norwegian Nynorsk vittig (“witty”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).