2 syllables: hair, y. Stress on hair.
HER-ee
/ˈhɛɹi/
hairy is pronounced HER-ee (/ˈhɛɹi/). It has two syllables (hair-y), with the stress on "hair". Hairy is an adjective describing something covered in hair or having a rough, difficult, or alarming quality. It often conveys a sense of texture or risk, as in a hairy situation. The word typically stresses the first syllable and features a long /eə/ (US /ˈhɛəri/ or /ˈhɛri/) vowel sequence that blends into a light /i/ at the end.
Hairy is an adjective describing something covered in hair or having a rough, difficult, or alarming quality. It often conveys a sense of texture or risk, as in a hairy situation. The word typically stresses the first syllable and features a long /eə/ (US /ˈhɛəri/ or /ˈhɛri/) vowel sequence that blends into a light /i/ at the end.
"The kitten’s fur was very hairy, with tufts sticking out everywhere."
"That climb looked hairy, but we made it to the top safely."
"The documentary showed a hairy roadtrip through snowy mountains."
Pronounce as two syllables with primary stress on the first: US /ˈhɛəri/ or /ˈhɛri/, UK /ˈheə.ri/, AU /ˈheə.ɹi/. Start with the open front lax vowel in 'pet' but longer, glide into a mid-central offglide for the second syllable. Ensure the first vowel is not reduced; keep the e as a clear, tense vowel, then glide to a light 'ee' in the second syllable.
Common mistakes include pronouncing the first vowel as short /æ/ (like 'hair' in US) or flattening the diphthong into a pure monophthong. Another error is not linking the /eə/ glide into the final /i/ so you sound like /ˈhɛr.i/ or /ˈhɛrɪ/. To correct: keep the first vowel as a mid-to-open front vowel with a visible glide into /i/; ensure the second syllable is lightly stressed and not reduced in fast speech.
In US English the first vowel often has a tense /ɛ/ with a noticeable /eə/ glide, ending in a clear /i/ or /iː/. UK speakers often produce a longer /eə/ with a more pronounced second syllable vowel, producing /ˈheə.ri/. Australian English tends to glide from /eə/ to a higher front vowel, with less rhoticity and a softer final /i/ or /iː/ depending on speaker. Overall, expect rhoticity differences and vowel quality shifts that affect the diphthong trajectory.
The difficulty lies in producing the diphthongal sequence /eə/ or /eəɹ/ that smoothly transitions into /i/ in many accents, and in maintaining the correct stress on the first syllable while not letting the second syllable weaken into a schwa. Learners often mispronounce as /ˈhɛri/ or split the syllables too evenly. Focus on two distinct vowel gestures: a mid-to-open start, then a light, quick glide to the secondary vowel, keeping both syllables clearly audible.
The word’s characteristic pairing of a voiced consonant cluster after the initial vowel and a light, unstressed second syllable makes it sensitive to vowel duration and glides. In rapid speech, the second syllable can reduce slightly, but the first syllable should retain the diphthongal quality. Ensure your tongue position is ready to transition from a front lax vowel to a near-high front vowel, with lips rounded slightly for the /eə/ glide. IPA cues help anchor the exact articulation.
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Hairy comes from Old English herig or hārig, related to hēr ‘a hair,’ and shares a common Germanic root with other words referring to hairiness. The core sense anchored in physical hair or hairy texture expands into metaphorical uses (“hairy situation,” meaning risky or precarious). The transition from concrete texture to figurative risk occurs in the early modern period, where English speakers started using hairiness as a descriptor for situations that are difficult, tangled, or dangerous. First attestations appear in Middle English sources where ‘hair’ was used to describe furred or hairy things, and adjectives like -y (as in hary) formed to convey possession or characteristic quality. Over time, the pronunciation stabilized around two syllables with the initial stressed syllable, leading to the current common pronunciation with a diphthongal vowel cluster. The word has remained common in everyday speech and in literature, frequently paired with nouns describing textures or hazards. Its adjectival form is highly productive in both literal descriptions (hairy animals, hairy surfaces) and figurative expressions (a hairy problem, a hairy situation).
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "hairy" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "hairy" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "hairy"
-rry sounds
-iry sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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