wiry

/ˈwaɪ(ə)ɹi/

//ˈwaɪ(ə)ɹi// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"wiry" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wiry” is uncommon English (frequency #52,724 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,724
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Resembling wire.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wiry · wiry · English

wiry · rank #52,724 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,724
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH wining

Nearest frequency peer: wining (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “wiry”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “wiry” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for wiry
PropertyValue
Headwordwiry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈwaɪ(ə)ɹi/
Letters4
Frequency rank#52,724
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “wiry” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).wiryfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “wining” (#52,723), “Wittenberg” (#52,725), “windowsill” (#52,722). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wiry” is #52,724. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

wiry is uncommon English at frequency #52,724 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈwaɪ(ə)ɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for wiry, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From wire + -y. The correct English form is wiry, spelled W-I-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Resembling wire.
  2. 2
    Thin, muscular and flexible.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how wiry appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. My hair was very wiry in my teens.
  2. Don't fight him. He may be small, but he's wiry.

Etymology

From wire + -y.

This word in other languages

fibroso(Español)drahtig(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "wiry"?
"wiry" is spelled W-I-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwaɪ(ə)ɹi/.
What does "wiry" mean?
As an adjective, "wiry" means: Resembling wire.
How do you pronounce "wiry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wiry" is /ˈwaɪ(ə)ɹi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "wiry"?
From wire + -y. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "wiry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Yash#52,732yeet#52,733YHWH#52,734Wass#52,712

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list