Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

icky

/ˈɪki/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.76 in modern English

Syllables: icky
IPA: /ˈɪki/

13

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Unpleasantly sticky; yucky; disgusting.

Informal

adj

Excessively sentimental.

Informal

adj

Unwell or upset; in a bad state of mind or health.

Informal

Example Sentences

"I stepped in something icky and it smells terrible."
"Crew member Sachin Sharma of India said workers had no problems with being thrust into the icky job of handling the red bags filled with human waste."
"I'm not going to work today. I just feel icky."

Etymology

1935, American English; from icky-boo (circa 1920): sickly, nauseated; baby talk corruption of sick; from a sentimental term for jazz music.

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

ickier (comparative) ickiest (superlative)

Derived Forms

ickily ickiness

Phrases

icky-poo sticky-icky

Frequently Paired Words

ick

Synonyms

gross ishy schmaltzy syrupy treacly bathetic cheesy squishy corny drippy gooey hokey

Rhymes With

tricky ricky mickey sticky wiki vicky picky hickey tiki dickie dickey quickie

Questions

How do you pronounce icky?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɪki/.
What does icky mean?: Unpleasantly sticky; yucky; disgusting.
Where does icky come from?: 1935, American English; from icky-boo (circa 1920): sickly, nauseated; baby talk corruption of sick; from a sentimental term for jazz music.

How to pronounce icky

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “icky”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɪki/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “icky”.
Repeat and practice — Say “icky” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.