leery
/ˈlɪəɹi/adjective
leery is spelled L-E-E-R-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “leary vs leery” about 90 times a month (Google, United States). As an adjective, leery means “Cautious, suspicious, wary, hesitant, or nervous about something; having reservations or concerns” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in leery?
| Letters | 5: L-E-E-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 48,230th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is leery?
Leery appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th 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 leery?
- UK /ˈlɪəɹi/
- British /ˈlɪːɹɪj/
- /ˈlɪɹi/
Leery 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-leery.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-VCcortex-leery.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with leery
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: leary.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with leery?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as leery from its last stressed vowel (/ɪəɹi/, British pronunciation):
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 leery
- leerier comparative
- leeriest superlative
- leary
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does leery mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Cautious, suspicious, wary, hesitant, or nervous about something; having reservations or concerns.
Since he was bitten by a dog when he was young, he has always been leery of animals.
- 2
UKobsoleteslangSly; artful; knowing.
- 3
Leering; lecherous or unpleasant.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Leery in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense cautious, hesitant, or nervous:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | argwöhnisch |
| Spanish | receloso, desconfiado, cauteloso |
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 leery come from?
First attested in 1718, “untrustful, suspicious”, either from leer (“sideward look”) + -y, lear (“learning, knowledge”) + -y. More at leer, lear.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).