annoy
an·noy/əˈnoɪ̯/verb
annoy is spelled A-N-N-O-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables (an·noy). It appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, annoy means “To disturb or irritate, especially by continued or repeated acts; to bother with unpleasant deeds” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in annoy?
| Letters | 5: A-N-N-O-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: an·noy |
| In writing | 2.9 times per million words; the 15,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is annoy?
Annoy appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce annoy?
- /əˈnoɪ̯/
- [əˈnoɪ̯]
- /əˈnɔɪ̯/
Annoy has 2 syllables, split an·noy in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-annoy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with annoy?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as annoy.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: yanno, anyon, noyan.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of annoy
- annoys present, singular, he/she/it
- annoying participle, present
- annoyed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does annoy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To disturb or irritate, especially by continued or repeated acts; to bother with unpleasant deeds.
Marc loved his sister, but when she annoyed him he wanted to switch her off.
- 2
archaicTo molest; to harm; to injure.
to annoy an army by impeding its march, or by a cannonade
noun
- 1
archaicA feeling of discomfort or vexation caused by what one dislikes.
- 2
archaicThat which causes such a feeling.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Annoy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gêner, ennuyer, embêter, agacer, asticoter, fâcher |
| German | ärgern, nerven , schaden, schädigen, molestieren, belästigen |
| Portuguese | aborrecer, irritar |
| Spanish | enchilar, crispar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does annoy come from?
From Middle English anoyen, from Old French anoier (“to bother, disturb”), from Late Latin inodiāre (“to make loathsome”), derived from Latin odium (“loathing, hatred”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).