gnarly
gnar·ly/ˈnɑɹli/adjective
gnarly is spelled G-N-A-R-L-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (gnar·ly). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, gnarly means “Having or characterized by gnarls; gnarled” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in gnarly?
| Letters | 6: G-N-A-R-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: gnar·ly |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,416th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 gnarly?
Gnarly appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th 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 gnarly?
- UK /ˈnɑːli/
- US /ˈnɑɹli/
Gnarly has 2 syllables, split gnar·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-gnarly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with gnarly?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as gnarly from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹli/):
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 gnarly
- gnarlier comparative
- gnarliest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gnarly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having or characterized by gnarls; gnarled.
a gnarly stump
- 2
datedslangExcellent; attractive.
a gnarly dude
- 3
USdatedslangDangerous; difficult.
a gnarly problem
- 4
USslangUnpleasant, awful, ugly.
We're not talking about a lame chick and a gnarly guy. We're talking about a couple of far-out dudes.
- 5
USslangOf music or a sound: harsh.
Near-synonyms: cacophonic, discordant, jarring
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gnarly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 gnarly come from?
From gnarl (“knot in wood”) + -y. The slang senses were particularly popularized by US surf culture in the 1970s.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).