arrow
ar·row/ˈæ.ɹəʊ/noun, verb
arrow is spelled A-R-R-O-W: 5 letters and 2 syllables (ar·row). It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, arrow means “A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of arrow is arrows.
How many letters and syllables are in arrow?
| Letters | 5: A-R-R-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ar·row |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,778th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is arrow?
Arrow appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,778th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce arrow?
- UK /ˈæ.ɹəʊ/
- UK [ˈæ.ɹəʊ̯]
- British [ˈa.ɹəw]
Arrow has 2 syllables, split ar·row in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-ne-arrow.ogg, En-us-arrow.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with arrow?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as arrow from its last stressed vowel (/æɹəʊ/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of arrow
- arrows plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- arrowing participle, present
- arrowed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does arrow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow.
- 2
A sign or symbol used to indicate a direction (e.g.→).
- 3
A directed edge.
- 4
A morphism.
- 5
colloquialA dart.
- 6
The -> symbol, which has specific meanings in various programming languages.
- 7
The inflorescence or tassel of a mature sugar cane plant.
verb
- 1
To move swiftly and directly (like an arrow).
- 2
To let fly swiftly and directly.
- 3
To develop an inflorescence.
- 4
To navigate using the arrow keys.
Arrow left until you reach the start of the text you want to delete.
- 5
To single out or nominate (someone) to be responsible for something, especially an undesirable task.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Arrow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense projectile:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does arrow come from?
From Middle English arwe, from Old English earh (“arrow”) (oblique form ēarw-), from Proto-West Germanic *arhu (“arrow”), from Proto-Germanic *arhwō (“arrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂érkʷo- (“bow, arrow”). Cognate with Faroese ørv, ørvur (“arrow”), Icelandic ör (“arrow”), örvar (“arrows”), Gothic 𐌰𐍂𐍈𐌰𐌶𐌽𐌰 (arƕazna, “dart”), Asturian and Leonese arcu (“bow”), Aragonese, Galician, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish arco (“bow”), Catalan, French, and Romanian arc (“bow”), Latin arcus (“bow”). Doublet of arch, arc, arco, and arcus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).