What are the three words in the English language that end in "gry"?

Question

There are three words in the English language that end in "gry". ONE is angry and the other is hungry. EveryONE knows what the third ONE means and what it stands for. EveryONE uses them everyday, and if you listened very carefully, I've given you the third word. What is it? __gry?

Answer 1

The Great
"GRY" Riddle
By now, most of you have seen the seemingly-perplexing riddle that's been going around on various radio shows, copiers and fax machines, and of course, every listserv in existence. The riddle seems to have perplexed just about everyone. Many people have attempted to be helpful and have posted lengthy explanations, many of which, it seemed, were more incomprehensible than the original riddle.

So, why then does this riddle continue to mystify even the hardiest puzzle-solvers? Simple! It's because the riddle itself is almost always stated INCORRECTLY! That's right. The way the riddle is most often told, there IS no answer!

Don't believe me? Let's start by reading the riddle as it is usually told. Here goes:

"There are three words in the English language that end in GRY. Two are HUNGRY and ANGRY. The third one everyone uses every day and knows what it stands for. If you listened carefully, I already told you what the word is."

Sound familiar? I'll bet that YOU heard the riddle worded something like that, right? And if that's how you heard it, no wonder you've been wracking your brain trying to find the answer. But you know what? There IS no correct answer! This riddle or a version of it, has been around for at least 20 years. In the ORIGINAL format (as you'll soon see), it makes sense and is a true riddle in the sense that, once you find the answer, you slap your forehead and go "Of course!"

So, what IS the correct version, you ask? Be patient, because first we have to consider the nature of riddles. By definition, they are mind-teasers that use word tricks. A riddle is not a trivia question for which you can go to a reference book and look up an answer. In a true riddle, there's always some sneaky little trick that makes such a straight answer impossible. So to find the sneaky little trick in this -GRY puzzler, think of the way magic is performed. The magician does something to divert your attention away from what he is actually up to. If you watch very closely when all those scarves are being waved about, you realize that much of the action on stage is simply a technique to confuse or befuddle you so that you will not catch on to the magician's sly movements. That lovely assistant who parades around in high heels and sequins is there primarily to keep you distracted so you won't figure out the trick. (Hey, it works on ME!) Now back to the riddle.

Here is the riddle in its original form (going back about 20 years):

"Think of words ending in -GRY. Angry and hungry are two of them. There are only three words in the English language. What is the third word? The word is something that everyone uses every day. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is."

In its proper, original form, the first two sentences have absolutely nothing to do with the question: "Think of words ending in -GRY. Angry and hungry are two of them." Ignore those two sentences. They are there only to throw you off course. (And it worked, didn't it?) What's left is the actual riddle itself: "There are only three words in the English language. What is the third word? The word is something that everyone uses every day. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is."

The key is the phrase "the English language." In this three-word phrase, the third word is simply the word "language." Get it? "Language" is definitely something that "everyone uses every day"! Without that quirky little twist, the puzzle would be just another trivia question, not a riddle.

You might be tempted to say something like: "That can't be the right answer. It's too stupid!" Hey, remember that most riddles ARE "stupid." For example, there's an old riddle which asks: "What is Bozo the Clown's middle name?" (The answer is "the." Now THAT'S "stupid"!)

A final note: There are, or have been in the past, a number of English words ending in -GRY, for example, "mawgry," and "iggry" and even an obscure noun, "gry," that means a small unit of measure. Many people thought they had solved this puzzle when they found one of these words in old dictionary or by scouring the Internet. But c'mon, folks, when's the last time you used a word like "mawgry" or "iggry" in everyday conversation? The thing about riddles is, you must follow them to the letter or they just don't work. This one got messed up somewhere along the way and has become somewhat of a cruel hoax (and perhaps even an "urban legend").


List of obsolete words, compound words, and names ending in gry

[Explanation of references is given at the end of the list.]

affect-hungry [OED (see "sado-masochism")]
aggry [OED:1:182; W2; W3]
Agry [OED (see "snappily")]
Agry Dagh (Mount Agry) [EB11]
ahungry [OED:1:194; FW; W2]
air-hungry [OED (see "Tel Avivian")]
angry [OED; FW; W2; W3]
anhungry [OED:1:332; W2]
Badagry [Johnston; EB11; OED (see "Dahoman")]
Ballingry [Bartholomew:40; CLG:151; RD:164, pl.49]
begry [OED:1:770,767]
bewgry [OED:1:1160]
boroughmongry [OED (see "boroughmonger")]
bowgry [OED:1:1160]
braggry [OED:1:1047]
Bugry [TIG]
Chockpugry [Worcester]
Cogry [BBC]
cony-gry [OED:2:956]
conyngry [OED:2:956]
cottagry [OED (see "cottagery")]
Croftangry [DFC, as "Chrystal Croftangry"; OED (see "way")]
diamond-hungry [OED (see "Lorelei")]
dog-hungry [W2]
dogge-hungry [OED (see "canine")]
Dshagry [Stieler]
Dzagry [Andree]
eard-hungry [CED (see "yird"); CSD]
Echanuggry [Century:103-104, on inset map, Key 104 M 2]
Egry [France; TIG]
euer-angry [OED (see "ever")]
ever-angry [W2]
fenegry [OED (see "fenugreek")]
fire-angry [W2]
Gagry [EB11]
girl-hungry [OED (see "girl")]
gonagry [OED (see "gonagra")]
gry (from Latin _gry_) [OED:4/2:475; W2]
gry (from Romany _grai_) [W2]
haegry [EDD (see "hagery")]
half-angry [W2]
hangry [OED:1:329]
heart-angry [W2]
heart-hungry [W2]
higry pigry [OED:5/1:285]
hogry [EDD (see "huggerie"); CSD]
hogrymogry [EDD (see "huggerie"); CSD (as "hogry-mogry")]
hongry [OED:5/1:459; EDD:3:282]
hound-hungry [OED (see "hound")]
houngry [OED (see "minx")]
huggrymuggry [EDD (see "huggerie"); CSD (as "huggry-muggry")]
hund-hungry [OED (see "hound")]
hungry [OED; FW; W2; W3]
Hungry Bungry [Daily Illini, in ad for The Giraffe, Spring 1976]
hwngry [OED (see "quart")]
iggry [OED]
Jagry [EB11]
job-hungry [OED (see "gadget")]
kaingry [EDD (see "caingy")]
land-hungry [OED; W2]
Langry [TIG; Times]
leather-hungry [OED]
ledderhungry [OED (see "leather")]
life-hungry [OED (see "music")]
Lisnagry [Bartholomew:489]
losengry [OED (see "losengery")]
MacLoingry [Phillips (as "Flaithbhertach MacLoingry")]
mad-angry [OED:6/2:14]
mad-hungry [OED:6/2:14]
magry [OED:6/2:36, 6/2:247-48]
malgry [OED:6/2:247]
man-hungry [OED]
managry [OED (see "managery")]
mannagry [OED (see "managery")]
Margry [Indians (see "Pierre Margry" in bibliog., v.2, p.1204)]
maugry [OED:6/2:247-48]
mawgry [OED:6/2:247]
meagry [OED:6/2:267]
meat-hungry [W2; OED (see "meat")]
menagry [OED (see "managery")]
messagry [OED]
music-hungry [OED (see "music")]
nangry [OED]
overangry [RH1; RH2]
Pelegry [CE (in main index as "Raymond de Pelegry")]
Pingry [Bio-Base; HPS:293-94, 120-21]
Podagry [OED; W2 (below the line)]
Pongry [Andree (Supplement, p.572)]
pottingry [OED:7/2:1195; Jamieson:3:532]
power-hungry [OED (see "power")]
profit-hungry [OED (see "profit")]
puggry [OED:8/1:1573; FW; W2]
pugry [OED:8/1:1574]
red-angry [OED (see "sanguineous")]
rungry [EDD:5:188]
scavengry [OED (in 1715 quote under "scavengery")]
Schtschigry [LG/1:2045; OSN:97]
Seagry [TIG; EB11]
Segry [Johnston; Andree]
self-angry [W2]
selfe-angry [OED (see "self-")]
sensation-hungry [OED (see "sensation")]
sex-angry [OED (see "sex")]
sex-hungry [OED (see "cave")]
Shchigry [CLG:1747; Johnson:594; OSN:97,206; Times:185,pl.45]
shiggry [EDD]
Shtchigry [LG/1:2045; LG/2:1701]
Shtshigry [Lipp]
sight-hungry [OED (see "sight")]
skugry [OED:9/2:156, 9/1:297; Jamieson:4:266]
Sygry [Andree]
Tangry [France]
Tchangry [Johnson:594; LG/1:435,1117]
Tchigry [Johnson:594]
tear-angry [W2]
th'angry [OED (see "shot-free")]
tike-hungry [CSD]
Tingry [France; EB11 (under "Princesse de Tingry"); OED (see "parquet")]
toggry [Simmonds (as "Toggry", but all entries are capitalized)]
ulgry [Partridge; Smith:24-25]
unangry [OED; W2]
vergry [OED:12/1:123]
Vigry [CLG:2090]
vngry [OED (see "wretch")]
war-hungry [OED (see "war")]
Wigry [CLG:2090; NAP:xxxix; Times:220, pl.62; WA:948]
wind-hungry [W2]
yeard-hungry [CED (see "yird")]
yerd-hungry [CED (see "yird"); OED]
yird-hungry [CED (see "yird")]
Ymagry [OED:1:1009 (col. 3, 1st "boss" verb), (variant of "imagery")]

This list was gathered from the following articles:

* Ralph G. Beaman, Kickshaws, Word Ways 9:1 (Feb. 1976) p. 43
* George H. Scheetz, In Goodly Gree: With Goodwill, Word Ways 22:4 (Nov. 1989)
* Murray R. Pearce, Who's Flaithbhertach MacLoingry?, Word Ways 23:1 (Feb. 1990)
* Harry B. Partridge, Gypsy Hobby Gry, Word Ways 23:1 (Feb. 1990)
* A. Ross Eckler, -Gry Words in the OED, Word Ways 25:4 (Nov. 1992)
* Darryl Francis, Some New -Gry Words, Word Ways 30:3 (Aug. 1997)


References

(Many references are of the form [Source:volume:page] or [Source:page].)

Andree, Richard. Andrees Handatlas (index volume). 1925.
Bartholomew, John. Gazetteer of the British Isles: Statistical and Topographical. 1887.
BBC = BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of English Names.
Bio-Base. (Microfiche) Detroit: Gale Research Company. 1980.
CE = Catholic Encyclopedia. 1907.
CED = Chambers English Dictionary. 1988.
Century = "India, Northern Part." The Century Atlas of the World. 1897, 1898.
CLG = The Colombia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World. L.E.Seltzer, ed. 1952.
CSD = Chambers Scots Dictionary. 1971 reprint of 1911 edition.
Daily Illini (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign).
DFC = Dictionary of Fictional Characters. 1963.
EB11 = Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed.
EDD = The English Dialect Dictionary. Joseph Wright, ed. 1898.
France = Map Index of France. G.H.Q. American Expeditionary Forces. 1918.
FW = Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary of the English Language. 1943.
HPS = The Handbook of Private Schools: An Annual Descriptive Survey of Independent Education, 66th ed. 1985.
Indians = Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. F. W. Hodge. 1912.
Jamieson, John. An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language. 1879-87.
Johnston, Keith. Index Geographicus... 1864.
LG/1 = Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer or Geographical Dictionary of the World. 1888.
LG/2 = Lippincott's New Gazetteer: ... 1906.
Lipp = Lippincott's Pronouncing Gazetteer of the World. 1861, undated edition from late 1800's; 1902.
NAP = Narodowy Atlas Polski. 1973-1978 [Polish language]
OED = The Oxford English Dictionary. 1933. [Form: OED:volume/part number if applicable:page]
OSN: U.S.S.R. Volume 6, S-T. Official Standard Names Approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Gazetteer #42, 2nd ed. June 1970.
Partridge, Harry B. "Ad Memoriam Demetrii." Word Ways, 19 (Aug. 1986): 131.
Phillips, Lawrence. Dictionary of Biographical Reference. 1889.
RD = The Reader's Digest Complete Atlas of the British Isles, 1st ed. 1965.
RH1 = Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged. 1966.
RH2 = Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition Unabridged. 1987.
Simmonds, P.L. Commercial Dictionary of Trade Products. 1883.
Smith, John. The True Travels, Adventvres and Observations: London 1630.
Stieler, Adolph. Stieler's Handatlas (index volume). 1925.
TIG = The Times Index-Gazetteer of the World. 1965.
Times = The Times Atlas of the World, 7th ed. 1985.
W2 = Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, Unabridged. 1934.
W3 = Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged. 1961.
WA = The World Atlas: Index-Gazetteer. Council of Ministries of the USSR, 1968.
Worcester, J.E. Universal Gazetteer, Second Edition. 1823.

Answer 2

You will have realized by now that it's all a linguistic trick and the the third word in 'the English language' is of course 'language'.

Just for completeness we ought to add that there are several other words that end in 'gry', not least 'gry' itself, although that does spoil the puzzle rather:

Gry (noun) - The smallest unit in Locke's proposed decimal system of linear measurement, being the tenth of a line, the hundredth of an inch, and the thousandth of a (‘philosophical’) foot.

For example, from 1679 John Locke's 'Letters to Boyle', 1679:

"The longest ... was three inches and nine grys long, and one inch seven lines in girt."

Gry (verb) - To rage or roar.

For example, from Richard Crew's 'Tasso's Godfrey of Bulloigne', 1594:

"The hearing this doth force the Tyrant gry, With threatfull sound."

So, now you can give up the search and move on to more useful pastimes.

Answer 3

Language

Answer 4

Language.

Answer 5

The answer is supposedly "one," which is the third "one." Probably because this answer does not make much sense, this version has a variant which contains more instances of the capitalized word "one." The idea is that the capitalized "one" is a hint for the letter a, which when prefixed to the sound "gree" yields the answer word "agree."
Also some think it is Language. It is really up to the person telling the joke I guess.

I found the answer on wikipedia

Answer 6

"The English Language"? The third word is "Language".

Really though, so many words end in "gry". Like meagry, aggry, scavengry...

Answer 7

the english language

Answer 8

language... it is the third word in "the english Language" hope that is right or i really am a dumb blond LOL

Answer 9

Angry
Hungry

I got it. The answer is language

Answer 10

the answer is "language". the 'gry' is just to throw you off.

Answer 11

Hungary, i am sorry, the third word is language. i learned a lot to day.