stray
/stɹeɪ/noun, verb, adjective
stray is spelled S-T-R-A-Y: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, stray means “Any domestic animal that lacks an enclosure, proper place, or company, but that instead wanders at large or is lost; an estray” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of stray is strays.
How many letters and syllables are in stray?
| Letters | 5: S-T-R-A-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.5 times per million words; the 10,519th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is stray?
Stray appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th 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 stray?
- /stɹeɪ/
Stray has one syllable (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: En-us-stray.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with stray?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as stray.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: artsy, satyr, stary.
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 stray
- strays plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- straying participle, present
- strayed participle, past
- more stray comparative
- strayer comparative
- most stray superlative
- strayest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stray mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any domestic animal that lacks an enclosure, proper place, or company, but that instead wanders at large or is lost; an estray.
- 2
A person who is lost.
- 3
An act of wandering off or going astray.
- 4
An area of common land for use by domestic animals.
- 5
UKarchaicAn article of movable property, of which the owner is not known (see waif).
waifs and strays
- 6
An instance of atmospheric interference.
- 7
slangA casual or offhand insult.
- 8
A submissive that has not committed to submit to any particular dominant, particulary in petplay.
verb
- 1
To wander, as from a direct course; to deviate, or go out of the way.
- 2
To wander from company or outside proper limits; to rove or roam at large; to go astray.
- 3
To wander from the path of duty or rectitude; to err.
November 2 2014, Daniel Taylor, "Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United," guardian.co.uk It was a derby that left Manchester United a long way back in Manchester City’s wing-mirrors and, in the worst momen
- 4
To cause to stray; lead astray.
adjective
- 1
Having gone astray; strayed; wandering.
The alley is full of stray cats rummaging through the garbage.
- 2
In the wrong place; misplaced.
a stray comma
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stray in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | animal errant , errance , commun , errer, éloigner , errant |
| German | Streuner , irren, streunen , sich verlaufen, verloren gehen , sich irren |
| Portuguese | desgarrado, vira-lata , afastar-se, desviar-se , perder-se |
| Spanish | extravío , errar, divagar, callejear, vagabundear , extraviarse |
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 stray come from?
From Middle English stray, strey, from Anglo-Norman estray, stray, Old French estrai, from the verb (see below).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).