awry
/əˈɹaɪ/adverb, adjective
awry is spelled A-W-R-Y: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, awry means “Obliquely, crookedly; askew” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in awry?
| Letters | 4: A-W-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,549th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 awry?
Awry appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th 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 awry?
- US /əˈɹaɪ/
- Australia /əˈɹɑɪ/
- /ˈɔː.ɹi/
Awry has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-awry.ogg, En-au-awry.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with awry?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as awry from its last stressed vowel (/aɪ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: wary.
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 awry
- more awry comparative
- most awry superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does awry mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Obliquely, crookedly; askew.
- 2
Perversely, improperly.
adjective
- 1
Turned or twisted toward one side; crooked, distorted, out of place; wry.
The frame was awry.
- 2
Wrong or distorted; perverse, amiss, off course
There is something awry with this story.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Awry in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | de travers, de guingois, de traviole , inapproprié |
| German | schief, fehlerhaft, falsch, verkehrt, krumm, verzogen |
| Portuguese | torto, errado, atravessado , distorcido , inadequadamente |
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 awry come from?
From Middle English awry, awrie. By surface analysis, a- + wry.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).