chary
cha·ry/ˈt͡ʃɛəɹi/adjective, adverb
chary is spelled C-H-A-R-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables (cha·ry). It appears about once in every 23 million words in written English, the 145,125th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, chary means “Careful, cautious, shy, wary” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in chary?
| Letters | 5: C-H-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: cha·ry |
| In writing | about once in every 23 million words; the 145,125th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 chary?
Chary appears about once in every 23 million words in written English, the 145,125th 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 chary?
- UK /ˈt͡ʃɛəɹi/
- /ˈt͡ʃɛɹi/
- /ˈt͡ʃɛəɹi/
Chary has 2 syllables, split cha·ry in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-chary.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with chary
Sounds like: cherry (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with chary?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as chary from its last stressed vowel (/ɛəɹi/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: archy.
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 chary
- charier comparative
- chariest superlative
- more chary comparative
- most chary superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does chary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Careful, cautious, shy, wary.
- 2
Excessively particular or fussy about details; fastidious.
- 3
Not disposed to give freely; not lavish; frugal, sparing.
- 4
obsoleteCared for, regarded as precious; cherished.
adverb
- 1
Synonym of charily: carefully, cautiously, warily.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Chary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense careful, cautious – see also careful, cautious:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | vorsichtig |
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 chary come from?
From Middle English chari, charre, charri, chary, Early Middle English cearig, chariȝ (“concerned with, diligent; sad, sorrowful; of a person: cherished, loved”), from Old English ċeariġ (“careful; pensive; chary, wary; anxious, sad, sorrowful; dire, grievous”), from Proto-West Germanic *karag (“anxious; sad”), from Proto-Germanic *karō + *-gaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- (“exclamation; voice”) + *-kos (suffix forming adjectives with the meaning ‘pertaining to; typical of’)); analysable as care + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).