thorny
/ˈθɔɹni/adjective
thorny is spelled T-H-O-R-N-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, thorny means “Having thorns or spines” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in thorny?
| Letters | 6: T-H-O-R-N-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,549th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 thorny?
Thorny appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th 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 thorny?
- UK /ˈθɔːni/
- US /ˈθɔɹni/
Thorny 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-thorny.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with thorny?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as thorny from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹni/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: rhyton.
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 thorny
- thornier comparative
- thorniest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does thorny mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having thorns or spines.
- 2
Troublesome or vexatious.
thorny issues
- 3
Aloof and irritable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Thorny in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | épineux |
| German | dornig , schwierig, problematisch |
| Portuguese | espinhento, espinhoso |
| Spanish | espinoso, espinudo , peliagudo |
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 thorny come from?
From Middle English thorny, þorny, þorni, from Old English þorniġ, from Proto-West Germanic *þornag. By surface analysis, thorn + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).