worthy
wor·thy/ˈwɝ.ði/adjective, noun, verb
worthy is spelled W-O-R-T-H-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (wor·thy). It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,365th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, worthy means “Having worth, merit, or value” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in worthy?
| Letters | 6: W-O-R-T-H-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: wor·thy |
| In writing | 19 times per million words; the 4,365th 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 worthy?
Worthy appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,365th 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 worthy?
- UK /ˈwɜː.ði/
- US /ˈwɝ.ði/
- British /ˈwəː.ðɪj/
Worthy has 2 syllables, split wor·thy in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-worthy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with worthy?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as worthy from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹði/):
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 worthy
- worthier comparative
- worthiest superlative
- worthies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- worthying participle, present
- worthied participle, past
- more -worthy comparative
- most -worthy superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does worthy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having worth, merit, or value.
- 2
Admirable or honourable.
- 3
Deserving, or having sufficient worth.
- 4
Suited; suitable; befitting.
noun
- 1
A distinguished or eminent person.
- 2
a good, wise and virtuous person.
Confucius and Mencius are revered as the sages and worthies of Confucianism.
verb
- 1
To render or treat as worthy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Worthy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | digne , honorable, admirable |
| German | würdig , -wert, -würdig |
| Portuguese | digno, valioso |
| Spanish | digno |
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 worthy come from?
From Middle English worthy, wurthi, from Old English *weorþiġ (“worthy”), equivalent to worth + -y. Cognate with Dutch waardig (“worthy”), Middle Low German werdig (“worthy”), German würdig (“worthy”), Swedish värdig (“worthy”), Icelandic verðugur (“worthy”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).