Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hairy

/ˈhɛɹ.i/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.80 in modern English

Syllables
hairy
IPA
/ˈhɛɹ.i/
11
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Having a lot of body hair.

adj

Having a lot of fur.

adj

Having hair growing from it.

adj

Long-haired.

adj

Seeming as if hair-covered or as if consisting of hair.

adj

Difficult, complex, intricate, or intimidating.

Informal

adj

Causing anxiety or fright; terrifying, scary.

Informal

noun

A haircut (the act of cutting of hair).

Australian usage; Slang

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English hery, heeri, hary, equivalent to hair + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian hierich (“hairy”), West Frisian hierrich (“hairy”), Dutch harig (“hairy”), German Low German harig (“hairy”), German haarig (“hairy”), Swedish hårig (“hairy”), Icelandic hárugur (“hairy”). Compare also Old English hǣriht (“hairy”) and ġehǣre (“hairy”). The sense "terrifying, scary" possibly results from a blend of hair-raising and scary.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhɛɹ.i/
  • British English: /ˈhɛə.ɹi/

Usage

Inflected Forms

hairier (comparative) hairiest (superlative) hairies (plural)

Derived Forms

hairily hairiness hairyback hairyfish hairyness nonhairy unhairy

Phrases

Andean hairy armadillo big, fat, hairy deal big hairy armadillo big hairy deal black hairy tongue syndrome hairy arm hairy armadillo hairy balls

Frequently Paired Words

dasypygal

Synonyms

hirsute furry hairful long-haired fluffy villous hairlike hair-raising

Homonyms

harry (Mary–marry–merry merger)

Antonyms

bald hairless

Rhymes With

very mary harry marry gary scary larry jerry vary terry perry cherry

Questions

How do you pronounce hairy?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɛɹ.i/.
What does hairy mean?
Having a lot of body hair.
Where does hairy come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce hairy

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hairy”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhɛɹ.i/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hairy”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “hairy” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.