tarry
/ˈtæ.ɹi/verb, noun, adjective
tarry is spelled T-A-R-R-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 57,423rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, tarry means “To delay; to be late or tardy in beginning or doing anything” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tarry?
| Letters | 5: T-A-R-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 57,423rd 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 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 tarry?
Tarry appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 57,423rd 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 tarry?
- UK /ˈtæ.ɹi/
- /ˈtæ.ɹi/
- /ˈtɛɹ.i/
As an adjective (“Resembling tar”): /ˈtɑː.ɹi/.
Tarry has 2 syllables (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-tarry_(verb).wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-tarry_(adj).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tarry?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as tarry from its last stressed vowel (/æɹi/, British pronunciation):
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 tarry
- tarries present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- tarrying participle, present
- tarried participle, past
- tarrow
- tarrier comparative
- tarriest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tarry mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
datedTo delay; to be late or tardy in beginning or doing anything.
- 2
datedTo linger in expectation of something or until something is done or happens.
- 3
datedTo abide, stay or wait somewhere, especially if longer than planned.
- 4
datedTo stay somewhere temporarily.
- 5
datedTo wait for; to stay or stop for; to allow to linger.
noun
- 1
datedA sojourn.
adjective
- 1
datedResembling tar.
- 2
datedCovered with tar.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tarry in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tarder, s'attarder , rester, demeurer , séjour |
| German | zaudern, zögern, sich verspäten, sich verzögern, verzögern, hinauszögern |
| Spanish | demorar , visita |
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 tarry come from?
From Middle English tarien, terien (“to vex, harass, cause to hesitate, delay”), from Old English tirian, tirġan, terġan (“to worry, exasperate, pain, provoke, excite”), from Proto-Germanic *terganą, *targijaną (“to pull, tease, irritate”), from Proto-Indo-European *derHgʰ- (“to pull, tug, irritate”). Cognate with Dutch tergen (“to provoke”), German zergen (“to vex, irritate, provoke”), Norwegian Bokmål terge (“to irritate, provoke”), Russian дёргать (djórgatʹ, “to pull, yank, jerk, pester”). Compare also Walloon tårdjî (“to be late, to be slow, to wait”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).