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“Wary,” with a long “a” sound, is aware of what is nearby.
“Weary,” with a long “e” sound, is worn out.
Wary
In most dialects of American English, “wary” has a long “a” sound, like “bare.”
Or think in terms of “wary” and “scary.” Something that is scary might make a person wary.
Weary
“Weary” has the long “e” sound. The combination “ea” often has the long “e” sound, as in “team.”
“Weary,” meaning “tired” or “worn out,” might be put in a sentence with “deary,” as in, “I’m weary, deary, from studying that theory. I’m nearly asleep.”
Examples:
- The wary elk sniffed the late-afternoon air for the scent of a predator.
- (“wary” = cautious)
- He was weary from three days of traveling to winter pasture.
- (“weary” = tired, worn out)
- He knew that animals that are not wary can be shot by hunters.
- (“wary” = cautious)
- On the other side of the meadow waited a weary hunter—tired, hungry, and cold— having been up since dawn.
- (“weary” = tired)
Credits: Photo by Andrew Coop, Photo by Justin Aikin on Unsplash