marry

/ˈmæɹ.ɪ/

//ˈmæɹ.ɪ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“marry” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,637. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,637
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To enter into the conjugal or connubial state; to take a husband or a wife.

Corpus desk

Index EN-marry · marry · English

marry · rank #3,637 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,637
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH managing

Nearest frequency peer: managing (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “marry”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “marry” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

marry vs may
60% similar
marry vs Mary
60% similar
marry vs mars
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for marry
PropertyValue
Headwordmarry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈmæɹ.ɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,637
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “marry”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).marrylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “managing” (#3,636), “nah” (#3,638), “layer” (#3,635). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “marry” is #3,637. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around marry (IPA /ˈmæɹ.ɪ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,637 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for marry, with forms such as "amrry", "marryy", and "maryr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "may", "Mary", "mars", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English marien, from Anglo-Norman marïer, from Latin marītāre (“to wed”), from marītus (“husband, suitor”), from mās (“man, male”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *méryos (“young man”), same source as Sanskrit मर्य (márya… The correct English form is marry, spelled M-A-R-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To enter into the conjugal or connubial state; to take a husband or a wife.
  2. 2
    To enter into marriage with one another.
  3. 3
    To take as husband or wife.
  4. 4
    To arrange for the marriage of; to give away as wife or husband.
  5. 5
    To unite in wedlock or matrimony; to perform the ceremony of joining spouses; to bring about a marital union according to the laws or customs of a place.
  6. 6
    To join or connect. See also marry up.
  7. 7
    To unite; to join together into a close union.
  8. 8
    To place (two ropes) alongside each other so that they may be grasped and hauled on at the same time.
  9. 9
    To join (two ropes) end to end so that both will pass through a block.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how marry appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Neither of her daughters showed any desire to marry.
  2. Evelyn, in his "Diary," under date 1641, says that at Haerlem "they showed us a cottage where, they told us, dwelt a woman who had been married to her twenty-fifth husband, and, being now a widow, was prohibited to marry in future; […] "

Etymology

From Middle English marien, from Anglo-Norman marïer, from Latin marītāre (“to wed”), from marītus (“husband, suitor”), from mās (“man, male”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *méryos (“young man”), same source as Sanskrit मर्य (márya, “suitor, young man”). Compare its feminine derivatives: Welsh morwyn (“girl”), merch (“daughter”), Crimean Gothic marzus (“wedding”), Ancient Greek μεῖραξ (meîrax, “boy; girl”), Lithuanian marti̇̀ (“bride”), Avestan 𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 (maⁱriia, “yeoman”).) Displaced native Old English hīwian.

Synonyms

bewedconjoincoupleespousehandfasthitchjoinmarrysplicespousewed

Antonyms

divorceseparate

This word in other languages

casar(Español)se marier(Français)heiraten(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amrry
  • marryy
  • maryr
  • mmarry
  • mrary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of marry - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

amrry2marryy1maryr2mmarry1mrary2
Edit distance from "marry"

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 "marry"?
"marry" is spelled M-A-R-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæɹ.ɪ/.
What does "marry" mean?
As a verb, "marry" means: To enter into the conjugal or connubial state; to take a husband or a wife.
What words are commonly confused with "marry"?
"marry" is commonly confused with "may", "Mary", "mars". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "marry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "marry" is /ˈmæɹ.ɪ/. 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 "marry"?
From Middle English marien, from Anglo-Norman marïer, from Latin marītāre (“to wed”), from marītus (“husband, suitor”), from mās (“man, male”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *méryos (“young man”), same source as Sanskrit म... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "marry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

layer#3,635nurse#3,640hopes#3,630forth#3,625

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

hire5 variantssake5 variantsdean5 variantscrap5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list