teary
/ˈtɪɚi/adjective
teary is spelled T-E-A-R-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, teary means “Of a person, having eyes filled with tears; inclined to cry” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in teary?
| Letters | 5: T-E-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,320th 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 teary?
Teary appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,320th 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 teary?
- UK /ˈtɪəɹi/
- /ˈtɪɹi/
- US /ˈtɪɚi/
Teary 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-teary.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with teary?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as teary from its last stressed vowel (/ɪəɹi/):
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 teary
- tearier comparative
- teariest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does teary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of a person, having eyes filled with tears; inclined to cry.
No wonder Ryan was teary; he missed his parents.
- 2
Of eyes, filled with tears.
Wade looked into his girlfriend's teary eyes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Teary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense filled with tears:
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 teary come from?
From Middle English tery; equivalent to tear + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).