2 syllables: Win, dy. Stress on Win.
WIN-dee
/ˈwɪndi/
Windy is pronounced WIN-dee (/ˈwɪndi/). It has two syllables (Win-dy), with the stress on "Win". Windy is an adjective used to describe weather with strong wind or a person or situation characterized by turbulence or agitation. It can also figuratively imply agitation or a lively, sometimes boisterous atmosphere. The term emphasizes gusts and movement rather than calm air, and is often paired with descriptors like blustery or stormy to convey intensity.
adjectiveWindy is an adjective used to describe weather with strong wind or a person or situation characterized by turbulence or agitation. It can also figuratively imply agitation or a lively, sometimes boisterous atmosphere. The term emphasizes gusts and movement rather than calm air, and is often paired with descriptors like blustery or stormy to convey intensity.
- You may default to saying /ˈwɪndi/ (short /ɪ/ as in 'sit'). Fix: keep the long /aɪ/ in the first syllable (/ˈwaɪn.di/). - The /n/ can blur into the following vowel if you don’t separate: practice a crisp /n/ before /d/ by delaying the /d/ just slightly. - The final /i/ can sound like a schwa; aim for a front, light /i/ as in 'see' rather than a reduced vowel. Practice with deliberate mouth openness and hold the second syllable briefly for clarity, then relax as you speed up.
"The windy afternoon made it hard to keep the hat on."
"That flag is very windy today, flapping wildly in the gusts."
"She gave a windy speech, full of passionate, forceful language."
Pronounce as WIND-ee with primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈwaɪn.di/. Start with the /waɪ/ diphthong, formed by an open jaw and a glide from /w/ to /aɪ/, then the /n/ consonant, and finish with a short /i/ as in 'kit' but slightly longer. You’ll feel the tongue rise for the /aɪ/ and the mouth close a bit before the final /i/. For US listeners, think 'why' + 'n' + 'ee' (why-n-ee). In careful speech, the /d/ is crisp but not forced; in quick speech, it can be lighter.
Common mistakes: 1) Treating the /aɪ/ as a pure /i/ or /eɪ/ (say /waɪ/ as in 'why'); 2) Dropping or softening the /n/ so it sounds like 'wein-dee' or 'win-dee'. Correction: keep the nucleus of the first syllable as a true diphthong /aɪ/, and articulate a clear /n/ before the final /i/. 3) Overemphasizing the /d/ making it sound like 'wind-dee' with a hard stop; aim for a light, quick /d/ just before the /i/.
In US, the /ˈwaɪn.di/ has a rhotic-ish vibe with the /r/ absent; the /ɪ/ reduces slightly in fast speech. UK English emphasizes the non-rhotic vowel quality, with a crisper /d/ and a slightly taller /iː/ in some speakers. Australian English maintains the /ɐɪ/ feel but with broader mouth opening and a clipped /d/. Across accents, the main differences are vowel quality of /aɪ/ (closer to [aɪ] vs [ɒɪ] variation) and the alveolar stop timing before the final /i/.
Windy challenges you with the /aɪ/ diphthong that requires a controlled glide from /a/ to /ɪ/. The /n/ in the middle can blur with a nasal reduction if the mouth closes too early, and the final /i/ must be kept fronted and light so it doesn’t sound like 'windy' with a dark vowel. Additionally, the transition between the nasal /n/ and the vowel /i/ can cause a subtle lag if you don’t keep the tongue high for the /i/.
Windy has no silent letters. The key features are the core diphthong /aɪ/ in the first syllable and the crisp /n/ before the final /i/. The final /i/ does not become a silent schwa; keep it as a distinct vowel sound. The word relies on precise vowel-consonant sequencing rather than silent letters to convey clear pronunciation.
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- US: rhotic neutrality; keep /waɪn/ with full lip rounding on /aɪ/ and a velar-like touch before /d/. - UK: crisper /d/ and more forward /i/—think non-rhotic, with slightly tighter vowels; /ˈwaɪn.di/ remains close to US but with a shorter, more clipped /i/. - AU: broader diphthong in /aɪ/ and slightly longer final /i/, with a more relaxed jaw; listen for a less tense /d/. IPA references: US /ˈwaɪn.di/, UK /ˈwaɪn.di/, AU /ˈwaɪn.di/.
Windy derives from wind, with the suffix -y forming adjectives indicating characteristic of or full of. The English noun wind traces to Old English wind, from Proto-Germanic winduz, related to Dutch wind and German Wind. The adjective form windy emerged in Middle English as a way to describe weather or conditions characterized by the presence of wind. The sense evolved to cover figurative uses—someone or something lively, boisterous, or turbulent—reflecting associated dynamic motion rather than the absence of wind. First known usages appear in late medieval or early modern English texts describing gusts and bluster (windy weather), then expanding to metaphorical uses (a windy argument, a windy speech). Over time, windy has retained its primary meteorological sense while acquiring colloquial and idiomatic shades (windy day, windy conditions, a windy performance). In contemporary use, windy most commonly modifies weather or environments with noticeable air movement, while its figurative readings appear in informal discourse to convey intensity or agitation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Windy" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Windy" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Windy"
-ndy sounds
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