Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

muddy

/ˈmʌdi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.60 in modern English

Syllables: mud-dy
IPA: /ˈmʌdi/

12

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Covered or splashed with, or full of, mud (“wet soil”).

adj

Of water or some other liquid: containing mud or (by extension) other sediment in suspension; cloudy, turbid.

adj

Of or relating to mud; also, having the characteristics of mud, especially in colour or taste.

adj

Soiled with feces.

adj

Of an animal or plant: growing or living in mud.

Archaic

adj

adj

Not clear.

adj

Not clear.

Example Sentences

"He slogged across the muddy field."
"Take off your muddy boots before you come inside."
"It [the cistern] muſt be firmely and cloſely paued vvith clay and mortar, and after dravvne ouer and floored vvith the ſame mortar, to the ende that the vvater be not made muddy or taſt of the earth: […]"
"[T]he augure, […] is a ſharpe inſtrument of yron made thinne vvith many ſharpe teeth, and ſo ſtriken into holes or muddie banks, vvhere they vvill many times catch a verie great aboundance of Eeles: […]"
"All theſe Cocytus bounds vvith ſqualid Reeds, / VVith Muddy Ditches, and vvith deadly VVeeds: […]"
"A long Canal the muddy Fenn divides, / And vvith a clear unſully'd Current glides; […]"

Etymology

The adjective is derived from Late Middle English muddi, moddy, muddy (“covered with or full of mud, muddy”), from mud, mudde (“mud; turbid water”) + -i (suffix forming adjectives). Mud, mudde is possibly borrowed from Middle Dutch modde, and/or Middle Low German modde, mudde, from Proto-Germanic *mud-, *mudra- (“mud”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *mū-, *mew- (“moist”). The English word is analysable as mud + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives). Doublet of muddle. The verb is derived from the adjective. cognates * Middle Low German moddich, muddich (German Low German muddig (“muddy; mouldy”))

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *mew-, muddi, modde, *mud-, *mū-
Suffix: mud, mud crab

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈmʌdi/
British English: /ˈmʌdi/

Usage

Inflected Forms

muddier (comparative) muddiest (superlative) muddies (present, singular) muddying (participle, present) muddied (participle, past) muddied (past) muddies (plural)

Derived Forms

muddily muddiness muddyish nonmuddy unmuddy muddier muddying

Phrases

Muddy Mississippi Muddy York muddy up muddy the waters muddy the water

Synonyms

oozy clatchy faint wan bland colourless dim dingy dull lackluster leaden muddy

Rhymes With

study buddy bloody ruddy cuddy duddy cruddy huddy judie buddie luddy fuddy-duddy

Questions

How do you pronounce muddy?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmʌdi/.
What does muddy mean?: Covered or splashed with, or full of, mud (“wet soil”).
Where does muddy come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce muddy

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