Do you get confused about weary vs wary? In this lesson, I will teach you the meaning and pronunciation of these two confusing words. I will also give you some memory tricks to help you remember the difference.
Confusing Words: Weary vs Wary
You are not alone in thinking these two words are confusing! The confusion occurs because they are similar-sounding adjectives. A second reason these words confuse us is because they are both very old words, which have roots in Old English and Proto-Germanic.
Does the difference between these words make you feel weary? Watch the video below to learn the difference!:
The Meaning of Wary
The word ‘wary’ (adjective) means to be suspicious or distrustful about a situation or person.
The word ‘wary’ shares the same etymological root with ‘beware’ and ‘aware’. All of these words can be used in a sense of being watchful about a situation. Associating these words together in your mind will help you to remember the meaning.
How to remember the pronunciation of wary:
Repeat-after-me the following mnemonic sentence:
I’m wary of scary things.”
↑ Both ‘wary’ and ‘scary’ contain /eə/ vowels
The Meaning of Weary
The word ‘weary’ (adjective) is used to describe a state of extreme tiredness or fatigue. This can be in a physical or emotional sense. Collocations with weary are:
- A weary traveller.
- Thinking about your problems makes you feel weary.
- A student studying for his exams may feel a sense of weariness.
- Victorian ladies sitting in their parlours felt weary about the problems of the world.
- Note that ‘weary’ is more formal and literary than the word ‘tired’.
How to remember the pronunciation of wary:
Repeat-after-me the following mnemonic sentence:
“When you are weary, your eyes are bleary, and you may feel teary”.
↑ The words ‘weary’, ‘bleary’ and ‘teary’ are rhyming words which all contain /ɪə/ vowels.
The word ‘bleary’ (adjective) is used to describe tired, red eyes. A person who feels weary will often have bleary eyes too!
Compare Weary vs Wary
The mnemonic image below will help you to remember the difference between weary and wary:
▶︎ Learn the difference between more confusing words: ‘wonder or wander’.
▶︎ Learn a clear and confident accent: https://clearaccent.co.uk ✔︎
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