quarry
quar·ry/ˈk(w)ɔɹ.i/noun, verb
quarry is spelled Q-U-A-R-R-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (quar·ry). It appears 4.0 times per million words in written English, the 12,940th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, quarry means “A site for mining stone, such as limestone, or slate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of quarry is quarries.
How many letters and syllables are in quarry?
| Letters | 6: Q-U-A-R-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: quar·ry |
| In writing | 4.0 times per million words; the 12,940th 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 quarry?
Quarry appears 4.0 times per million words in written English, the 12,940th 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 quarry?
- UK /ˈkwɒɹ.i/
- US /ˈk(w)ɔɹ.i/
- /ˈkwɑɹ.i/
Quarry has 2 syllables, split quar·ry in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-quarry.ogg, En-au-quarry.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with quarry
Also written: curry.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with quarry?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as quarry from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹi/):
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 quarry
- quarries plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- quarrying participle, present
- quarried participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does quarry mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A site for mining stone, such as limestone, or slate.
Michelangelo personally quarried marble from the world-famous quarry at Carrara.
- 2
obsoleteA part of the entrails of a hunted animal, given to the hounds as a reward.
- 3
An animal, often a bird or mammal, which is hunted.
- 4
An object of search or pursuit.
- 5
A diamond-shaped tile or pane, often of glass or stone.
verb
- 1
To obtain (or mine) stone by extraction from a quarry.
- 2
To extract or slowly obtain by long, tedious searching.
They quarried out new, interesting facts about ancient Egypt from old papyri.
- 3
To secure prey; to prey, as a vulture or harpy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Quarry in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | carrière , proie |
| German | Steinbruch , Beute , ausgraben |
| Portuguese | pedreira , presa |
| Spanish | cantera, pedrera, pedrero, tajo , presa , objetivo |
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 quarry come from?
From Middle English quarere, from Medieval Latin quarreria (1266), literally a “place where stones are squared”, from Old French quarrière (compare modern French carrière), from Vulgar Latin *quadraria, from Latin quadrō (“to square”), itself from quadra (“a square”), from quattuor (“four”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres (“four”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).