Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nary

/ˈnɛɚ.i/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.59 in modern English

Syllables: nary
IPA: /ˈnɛɚ.i/

7

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

Not, never.

Dated

adj

Not any.

Dated

Example Sentences

"And all about the room, candles gleaming in branched sconces. Nary one glare of electric light."
"Every day, uncomplaining, this ten-ounce muscle contracts 100 thousand times nary “missing a beat.” Over a lifetime of faithful service, these two self-lubricating, self-regulating, high-capacity pumps beat two and one-half billion times […]"
"Then, it took her nary ten minutes to diagnose me with adrenal fatigue"
"Nary three weeks before, on December 12, Officer Cherylann Young steered a marked Miami-Dade County police cruiser toward the perimeter of MIA, the international airport."
"Mr. Hat: 'GOLDARMOR, THERE YOU ARE! I WAS THINKING... I'VE FOUGHT SCADS OF FOES, YET NARY A HAT IS WITHIN A GRASP!'"
"We'uns wuz willin't fout fur ole Tennessee, but for nary other State. When he started out o' Tennessee we'uns jest concluded t' strike out and leave him."

Etymology

Univerbation of ne'er + a.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈnɛɚ.i/
British English: /ˈnɛə.ɹi/

Usage

Dated

Inflected Forms

narry (alternative)

Rhymes With

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

Questions

How do you pronounce nary?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnɛɚ.i/.
What does nary mean?: Not, never.
Where does nary come from?: Univerbation of ne'er + a.

How to pronounce nary

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