hoary

/hɔː.ɹi/

//hɔː.ɹi// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hoary" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hoary” is an uncommon English word, ranked #67,505 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#67,505
frequency rank, English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - White, whitish, or greyish-white.

Key facts for hoary
PropertyValue
Headwordhoary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/hɔː.ɹi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#67,505
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hoary” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). hoary lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for hoary is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /hɔː.ɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #67,505 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for hoary, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Possibly from Middle English *hori (suggested by horilocket (“hoary-locked, having hoary locks or curls”)), equivalent to hoar + -y. Alternatively, Middle English horilocket may represent Middle English hor (“hoar, hoary”) + ilocket (“locked”) rather than h… The correct English form is hoary, spelled H-O-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    White, whitish, or greyish-white.
  2. 2
    White or grey with age.
  3. 3
    Of a pale silvery grey.
  4. 4
    Covered with short, dense, greyish white hairs.
  5. 5
    Old or old-fashioned; trite.
  6. 6
    Remote in time past.
  7. 7
    Moldy; mossy; musty.

Etymology

Possibly from Middle English *hori (suggested by horilocket (“hoary-locked, having hoary locks or curls”)), equivalent to hoar + -y. Alternatively, Middle English horilocket may represent Middle English hor (“hoar, hoary”) + ilocket (“locked”) rather than hori (“hoary”) + locket (“locked”).

This word in other languages

cano(Español)chenu(Français)altersgrau(Deutsch)grisalho(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hoary"?
"hoary" is spelled H-O-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /hɔː.ɹi/.
What does "hoary" mean?
As an adjective, "hoary" means: White, whitish, or greyish-white.
How do you pronounce "hoary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hoary" is /hɔː.ɹi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "hoary"?
Possibly from Middle English *hori (suggested by horilocket (“hoary-locked, having hoary locks or curls”)), equivalent to hoar + -y. Alternatively, Middle English horilocket may represent Middle English hor (“hoar, hoary”) + ilocket (“locked”) rat... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “hoary”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-O-A-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /hɔː.ɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list