worry

/ˈwʌ.ɹi/

//ˈwʌ.ɹi// verb

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

"worry" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“worry” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,548. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,548
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt.

Corpus desk

Index EN-worry · worry · English

worry · rank #1,548 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,548
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH wind

Nearest frequency peer: wind (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “worry”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “worry” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

worry vs wry
60% similar
worry vs Wray
40% similar
worry vs wort
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for worry
PropertyValue
Headwordworry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈwʌ.ɹi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,548
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “worry”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).worrylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “wind” (#1,547), “1st” (#1,549), “twice” (#1,546). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “worry” is #1,548. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around worry (IPA /ˈwʌ.ɹi/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,548 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for worry, with forms such as "owrry", "worryy", and "wory". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "wry", "Wray", "wort", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English worien, werien, wirien, wirwen, wyryȝen (“to choke, strangle”), from Old English wyrġan, from Proto-Germanic *wurgijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *werǵʰ- (“bind, squeeze”). Cognate with Dutch worgen, wurgen, German würgen. Compare Latin … The correct English form is worry, spelled W-O-R-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt.
  2. 2
    Disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress; to exercise.
  3. 3
    To harass; to irritate or distress.
  4. 4
    To seize or shake by the throat, especially of a dog or wolf.
  5. 5
    To touch repeatedly; to fiddle with.
  6. 6
    To strangle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. So you go along for a long time / And nothing seems to worry your mind / But what it adds up to / It's the side effect / That finally gets to you
  2. Your tone of voice worries me.

Etymology

From Middle English worien, werien, wirien, wirwen, wyryȝen (“to choke, strangle”), from Old English wyrġan, from Proto-Germanic *wurgijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *werǵʰ- (“bind, squeeze”). Cognate with Dutch worgen, wurgen, German würgen. Compare Latin urgere (“to press, push”), Sanskrit वृहति (vṛhati, “to tear out, pluck”), Lithuanian ver̃žti (“to string; squeeze”), Russian (poetic) отверза́ть (otverzátʹ, “to open”, literally “to untie”). Related to wring.

Synonyms

fretstressfussconcernfretpreoccupyvexgnaw

This word in other languages

preocuparse(Español)s'inquiéter(Français)besorgen(Deutsch)preocupar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • owrry
  • worryy
  • wory
  • woryr
  • wrory
  • wworry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of worry - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

owrry2worryy1wory1woryr2wrory2wworry1
Edit distance from "worry"

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 "worry"?
"worry" is spelled W-O-R-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwʌ.ɹi/.
What does "worry" mean?
As a verb, "worry" means: To be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt.
What words are commonly confused with "worry"?
"worry" is commonly confused with "wry", "Wray", "wort". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "worry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "worry" is /ˈwʌ.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 "worry"?
From Middle English worien, werien, wirien, wirwen, wyryȝen (“to choke, strangle”), from Old English wyrġan, from Proto-Germanic *wurgijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *werǵʰ- (“bind, squeeze”). Cognate with Dutch worgen, wurgen, German würgen. Comp... 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 "worry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

twice#1,546brand#1,553count#1,557songs#1,538

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

wind6 variantscent6 variantsruns6 variantsideas6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list