wry
/ɹaɪ/adjective, verb, noun
wry is spelled W-R-Y: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,504th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, wry means “Turned away, contorted (of the face or body)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in wry?
| Letters | 3: W-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,504th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
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).
How common is wry?
Wry appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,504th 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 wry?
- /ɹaɪ/
Wry has one syllable (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-au-wry.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with wry
Sounds like: rye (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of wry
- wrier comparative
- wryer comparative
- wriest superlative
- wryest superlative
- wries present, singular, he/she/it
- wrying participle, present
- wried participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wry mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Turned away, contorted (of the face or body).
- 2
Dryly humorous; sardonic or ironic, usually in a way that suggests acknowledgement of a problem or difficult situation.
- 3
Twisted, bent, crooked.
- 4
Deviating from the right direction; misdirected; out of place.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo turn (away); to swerve or deviate.
- 2
obsoleteTo divert; to cause to turn away.
- 3
To twist or contort (the body, face, etc.).
- 4
obsoleteTo cover; clothe; cover up; cloak; hide.
noun
- 1
Distortion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wry in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 wry come from?
From Middle English wrien, from Old English wrīġian (“to go, turn, twist, bend, strive, struggle, press forward, endeavor, venture”), from Proto-Germanic *wrigōną (“to wriggle”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyḱ- (“to turn, wrap, tie”), from *wer- (“to turn, bend”). Compare awry, wriggle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).