pry

/pɹaɪ/

//pɹaɪ// verb

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

"pry" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pry” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #26,212) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#26,212
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To peer closely and curiously, especially at something closed or not public.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pry · pry · English

pry · rank #26,212 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,212
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH prudential

Nearest frequency peer: prudential (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “pry”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “pry” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

pry vs pt
33% similar
pry vs PS
0% similar
pry vs PU
0% similar

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

Key facts for pry
PropertyValue
Headwordpry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɹaɪ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#26,212
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pry” 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). pry lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for pry is neighbouring look-alikes ("pt", "PS", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /pɹaɪ/. Frequency #26,212 among 4,417 “P” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No generated misspelling entries exist for pry in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pt", "PS", "PU", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is inherited from Middle English prien, pryen (“to look closely, peer into, pry, spy”) [and other forms], from Old English *prīwan, *prēowian (“to look narrowly, to squint at”), attested by Old English beprīwan, beprēwan (“to wink”); further etymol… The correct English form is pry, spelled P-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To peer closely and curiously, especially at something closed or not public.
  2. 2
    To inquire into something that does not concern one; to be nosy; to snoop.
  3. 3
    To peer at (something) closely; also, to look into (a matter, etc.) thoroughly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [W]omen haue eagles eyes, / To prie euen to the heart, and why not you?
  2. […] to elude, thus wrapt in miſt / Of midnight vapor glide obſcure, and prie / In every Buſh and brake, where hap may finde / The Serpent ſleeping, […]

Etymology

The verb is inherited from Middle English prien, pryen (“to look closely, peer into, pry, spy”) [and other forms], from Old English *prīwan, *prēowian (“to look narrowly, to squint at”), attested by Old English beprīwan, beprēwan (“to wink”); further etymology unknown, but probably akin to Old English *prēowot (“closing of the eyes”), attested only in combination – compare prēowthwīl (“blink or twinkling of an eye, moment”), princ (“a wink”): see prink. The noun is derived from the verb.

This word in other languages

husmear(Español)fureter(Français)schnüffeln(Deutsch)bisbilhotar(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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pry"?
"pry" is spelled P-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹaɪ/.
What does "pry" mean?
As a verb, "pry" means: To peer closely and curiously, especially at something closed or not public.
What words are commonly confused with "pry"?
"pry" is commonly confused with "pt", "PS", "PU". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pry" is /pɹaɪ/. 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 "pry"?
The verb is inherited from Middle English prien, pryen (“to look closely, peer into, pry, spy”) [and other forms], from Old English *prīwan, *prēowian (“to look narrowly, to squint at”), attested by Old English beprīwan, beprēwan (“to wink”); furt... 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 "pry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ONG#26,195oda#26,192Rus#26,234MP4#26,176

What to do next

You've looked up "pry". Here's where to go from here.

  • "pry" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "pt". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #26,212 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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