worry
/ˈwʌ.ɹi/verb, noun
worry is spelled W-O-R-R-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 69 times per million words in written English, the 1,528th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, worry means “To be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in worry?
| Letters | 5: W-O-R-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 69 times per million words; the 1,528th 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 worry?
Worry appears 69 times per million words in written English, the 1,528th 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 worry?
- UK /ˈwʌ.ɹi/
- British [ˈwʌɹɪj]
- /ˈwɝ.i/
Worry 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: En-us-worry.ogg, En-us-ne-worry.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with worry?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as worry from its last stressed vowel (/ʌɹi/, 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 worry
- worries present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- worrying participle, present
- worried participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does worry mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt.
- 2
Disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress; to exercise.
Your tone of voice worries me.
- 3
To harass; to irritate or distress.
The President was worried into military action by persistent advisors.
- 4
To seize or shake by the throat, especially of a dog or wolf.
Your dog’s been worrying sheep again.
- 5
To touch repeatedly; to fiddle with.
- 6
ScotlandobsoleteTo strangle.
noun
- 1
A strong feeling of anxiety.
I'm afflicted by worry throughout the night.
- 2
An instance or cause of such a feeling.
My main worry is that I'll miss the train.
- 3
A person who causes worry.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Worry in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | s'inquiéter , inquiéter , harceler , souci, angoisse |
| German | besorgt sein , besorgen , Sorge |
| Portuguese | preocupar-se , preocupar , preocupação |
| Spanish | preocuparse, estar preocupado, inquietarse, comerse la cabeza, afligirse, desasosegarse |
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 worry come from?
From Middle English worien (“to choke, strangle”), from Old English wyrġan, from Proto-West Germanic *wurgijan, from Proto-Germanic *wurgijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *werǵʰ- (“bind, squeeze”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).