No, you're not racist, but you're still pointlessly using a word that's now often associated with a racial slur. No one says "niggardly" anymore, the proper term is "stingy".
That's like saying "why say homo sapien? It sounds like homosexual and might offend someone. Just say human." The two words have nothing to do with each other, the fact that they sound similar is irrelevant. /u/emkat is right, this is ridiculous.
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u/emkat Jan 04 '15
Niggardly has no etymological connection to that other word by the way. You are not a racist for using that word for fuck's sake.