Plötsig

Plötsig is an adjective in Swedish meaning sudden or abrupt, used to describe events, changes, or actions that occur without warning. In standard Swedish, the common attributive form is plötslig, as in en plötslig förändring or en plötslig upplevelse; the adverb form is plötsligt. The form plötsig is less common and is generally regarded as a nonstandard spelling or regional variant. When referring to something that happens without warning, you might see phrases like en plötslig regnskur or en plötslig förändring.

The word belongs to a class of adjectives formed with the suffix -ig from a stem associated with suddenness. It is closely related to the adverb plötsligt and to the noun plötslighet, which denotes the quality or state of being sudden. In practice, plötsig is largely interchangeable with plötslig in meaning, though standard style guides prefer plötslig in written Swedish.

Usage notes: plötsig is common in everyday language as well as in literary and journalistic contexts to emphasize unpredictability or abrupt onset. It is applicable across domains, including weather, health, economics, and behavior, for example describing a plötsig storm, a plötsig symptom, or a plötsig market shift. When in doubt, use plötslig in formal writing to align with standard Swedish.

See also: plötslig, plötsligt, plötslighet, abrupt, sudden.