# worry

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈwʌ.ɹi/ · frequency rank #1,548

## Definitions
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.
3. To harass; to irritate or distress.
4. To seize or shake by the throat, especially of a dog or wolf.
5. To touch repeatedly; to fiddle with.
6. To strangle.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **wry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worry-vs-wry)
- **Wray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worry-vs-wray)
- **wort** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worry-vs-wort)
- **worth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worry-vs-worth)
- **worst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worry-vs-worst)
- **worse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worry-vs-worse)
- **worthy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worry-vs-worthy)
- **wor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wor-vs-worry)
- **work** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/work-vs-worry)
- **word** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/word-vs-worry)
- **wore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wore-vs-worry)
- **worn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worn-vs-worry)
- **worm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-worry)
- **wary** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wary-vs-worry)
- **world** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-worry)
- **works** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/works-vs-worry)
- **words** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/words-vs-worry)
- **woody** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/woody-vs-worry)
- **Worms** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worms-vs-worry)
- **weary** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/weary-vs-worry)

## Common misspellings (6)
`owrry`, `worryy`, `wory`, `woryr`, `wrory`, `wworry`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/worry