# snarky

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈsnɑɹ.ki/ · frequency rank #35,941

## Definitions
1. Snide and sarcastic; usually out of irritation.
2. Irritable, irritated.

## Etymology
From snark + -y; 1906, as “irritable”, from snark (“to snort”), by onomatopoeia (1866). Compare Low German snarken (“to snore”), North Frisian snarke, Swedish snarka. In the sense “sarcastic” popularized in the late 1990s.

## Easily confused with
- **stark** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snarky-vs-stark)
- **spark** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snarky-vs-spark)
- **snarl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snarky-vs-snarl)
- **Sparks** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snarky-vs-sparks)
- **sneaky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snarky-vs-sneaky)
- **starry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snarky-vs-starry)
- **Sparky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snarky-vs-sparky)
- **swanky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snarky-vs-swanky)
- **snazzy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snarky-vs-snazzy)
- **sparkly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snarky-vs-sparkly)
- **starkly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snarky-vs-starkly)
- **Sark** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sark-vs-snarky)
- **scary** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scary-vs-snarky)
- **snake** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snake-vs-snarky)
- **shark** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shark-vs-snarky)
- **snack** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snack-vs-snarky)
- **shaky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shaky-vs-snarky)
- **snare** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snare-vs-snarky)
- **snark** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snark-vs-snarky)
- **snappy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/snappy-vs-snarky)

## Common misspellings (10)
`nsarky`, `sanrky`, `snakry`, `snarkky`, `snarkyy`, `snarrky`, `snaryk`, `snnarky`, `snraky`, `ssnarky`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/snarky