harrow

/ˈhæɹəʊ/

//ˈhæɹəʊ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"harrow" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“harrow” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,107. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,107
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A device consisting of a heavy framework having several disks or teeth in a row, which is dragged across ploughed land to smooth or break up the soil, to remove weeds or cover seeds; a harrow plow.

Corpus desk

Index EN-harrow · harrow · English

harrow · rank #26,107 · 7 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,107
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hatchet

Nearest frequency peer: hatchet (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “harrow”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “harrow” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

harrow vs harry
67% similar
harrow vs horror
67% similar
harrow vs Harris
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for harrow
PropertyValue
Headwordharrow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhæɹəʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#26,107
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “harrow”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).harrowlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “hatchet” (#26,108), “haiku” (#26,105), “henceforth” (#26,109). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “harrow” is #26,107. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around harrow (IPA /ˈhæɹəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,107 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for harrow, with forms such as "ahrrow", "harorw", and "harow". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "harry", "horror", "Harris", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English harwe, harow, from Old English *hearwa (perhaps ultimately cognate with harvest), or from Old Norse harfr/herfi; compare Danish harve (“harrow”), Dutch hark (“rake”). Akin to Latin carpere. According to the OED, the verb senses are partl… The correct English form is harrow, spelled H-A-R-R-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    A device consisting of a heavy framework having several disks or teeth in a row, which is dragged across ploughed land to smooth or break up the soil, to remove weeds or cover seeds; a harrow plow.
  2. 2
    An obstacle formed by turning an ordinary harrow upside down, the frame being buried.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how harrow appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He sent for the carpenter, who was under contract to be with the threshing-machine, but it turned out that he was mending the harrows, which should have been mended the week before Lent.
  2. “It may be fun for her,” I said with one of my bitter laughs, “but it isn't so diverting for the unfortunate toads beneath the harrow whom she plunges so ruthlessly in the soup.”

Etymology

From Middle English harwe, harow, from Old English *hearwa (perhaps ultimately cognate with harvest), or from Old Norse harfr/herfi; compare Danish harve (“harrow”), Dutch hark (“rake”). Akin to Latin carpere. According to the OED, the verb senses are partly derived from the noun sense, partly from a by-form of the verb harry, itself from Old English hergian.

This word in other languages

grada(Español)herse(Français)Egge(Deutsch)ancinho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahrrow
  • harorw
  • harow
  • harroww
  • harrwo
  • hharrow
  • hrarow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of harrow - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ahrrow2harorw2harow1harroww1harrwo2hharrow1hrarow2
Edit distance from "harrow"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "harrow"?
"harrow" is spelled H-A-R-R-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhæɹəʊ/.
What does "harrow" mean?
As a noun, "harrow" means: A device consisting of a heavy framework having several disks or teeth in a row, which is dragged across ploughed land to smooth or break up the soil, to remove weeds or cover seeds; a harrow plow.
What words are commonly confused with "harrow"?
"harrow" is commonly confused with "harry", "horror", "Harris". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "harrow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "harrow" is /ˈhæɹəʊ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "harrow"?
From Middle English harwe, harow, from Old English *hearwa (perhaps ultimately cognate with harvest), or from Old Norse harfr/herfi; compare Danish harve (“harrow”), Dutch hark (“rake”). Akin to Latin carpere. According to the OED, the verb senses... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "harrow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

guilds#26,102huddle#26,119hurled#26,121flicks#26,090

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Hines7 variantsHSBC7 variantsIndus7 variantsinked7 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list