wintry
win·try/ˈwɪnt(ə)ɹi/adjective
wintry is spelled W-I-N-T-R-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (win·try). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,267th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, wintry means “Suggestive or characteristic of winter; cold, stormy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in wintry?
| Letters | 6: W-I-N-T-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: win·try |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 40,267th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is wintry?
Wintry appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,267th 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 wintry?
- UK /ˈwɪnt(ə)ɹɪ/
- US /ˈwɪnt(ə)ɹi/
- US [ˈwɪɾ̃(ə)ɹi]
Wintry has 2 syllables, split win·try in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-wintry.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of wintry
- wintrier comparative
- wintriest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wintry mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Suggestive or characteristic of winter; cold, stormy.
wintry weather
- 2
Containing sleet or snow.
It will be cloudy overnight, with outbreaks of heavy rain at times. The rain may turn wintry over higher ground.
- 3
Aged, white-haired.
- 4
Chilling, cheerless.
a wintry remark
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wintry in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense suggestive or characteristic of winter; cold, stormy:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hivernal, hibernal |
| German | winterlich |
| Portuguese | hibernal, invernal, invernoso |
| Spanish | invernal |
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 wintry come from?
From winter + -y; compare Old English wintriġ (a parallel formation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).