Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fuddy-duddy

/ˈfʌdiˌdʌdi/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.82 in modern English

Syllables: fud-dy--dud-dy
IPA: /ˈfʌdiˌdʌdi/

24

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

5

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An old-fashioned, persnickety or ineffective person.

American usage; Informal

adj

Old-fashioned and persnickety or ineffective.

American usage; Informal

Example Sentences

"My grandma is a fuddy-duddy when it comes to keeping her house clean."
"Kingsolver lives by the tenets of her public-spirited fictional characters, whom she sculpts with a keen eye for individuality, e.g. Nannie Land Rawley, a seventy-something orchardist who shocks a fuddy-duddy male neighbor by wearing shorts, […]"

Etymology

Unknown. First attested in the US circa 1900.

Origin

First known use: First attested in the US circa 1900

Usage

American usage
Informal

Inflected Forms

fuddy-duddies (plural) fuddyduddy (alternative) fuddy-duddier (comparative) fuddy-duddiest (superlative)

Derived Forms

fudd

Phrases

fuddy-duddery fuddy-duddyish fuddy-duddyism fuddy-duddily

Rhymes With

study buddy bloody muddy ruddy cuddy cruddy floody

Questions

How do you pronounce fuddy-duddy?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfʌdiˌdʌdi/.
What does fuddy-duddy mean?: An old-fashioned, persnickety or ineffective person.
Where does fuddy-duddy come from?: First known use: First attested in the US circa 1900.

How to pronounce fuddy-duddy

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