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PlainSpell

contrary

UK /ˈkɒntɹəɹi/adjective, adverb, noun

contrary is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-R-Y: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,407th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, contrary means “Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in contrary?

Letters8: C-O-N-T-R-A-R-Y
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing15 times per million words; the 5,407th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

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).

How common is contrary?

Contrary appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,407th 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 contrary?

  • UK /ˈkɒntɹəɹi/
  • UK /kənˈtɹɛəɹi/
  • UK /ˈkɒntɹi/

Contrary has 3 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-contrary.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of contrary

  • more contrary comparative
  • most contrary superlative
  • contraries plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • contrarying participle, present
  • contraried participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does contrary mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.

    contrary winds

  2. 2

    Opposed; contradictory; inconsistent.

  3. 3

    Given to opposition; perverse; wayward.

    a contrary disposition; a contrary child

adverb

  1. 1

    Contrarily

    I never act contrary to my principles.

noun

  1. 1

    The opposite.

  2. 2

    One of a pair of propositions that cannot both be simultaneously true, though they may both be false.

  3. 3

    A type of loaded die.

verb

  1. 1

    obsoleteTo oppose; to frustrate.

  2. 2

    obsoleteTo impugn.

  3. 3

    obsoleteTo contradict (someone or something).

  4. 4

    obsoleteTo do the opposite of (someone or something).

  5. 5

    obsoleteTo act inconsistently or perversely; to act in opposition to.

  6. 6

    obsoleteTo argue; to debate; to uphold an opposite opinion.

  7. 7

    obsoleteTo be self-contradictory; to become reversed.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Contrary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchcontraire (opposite; in an opposite direction; in…), contrepied (the opposite)
Germanentgegengesetzt, gegenläufig, entgegenstehend, ungünstig, widrig, konträr (opposite; in an opposite direction; in…)
Spanishcontrario (opposite; in an opposite direction; in…)

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 contrary come from?

From Middle English contrarie, compare French contraire, from Old French contraire, from Latin contrārius (“opposite, opposed, contrary”), from contrā (“against”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after contrary