harrow
/ˈhæɹoʊ/noun, verb
harrow is spelled H-A-R-R-O-W: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,092nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). 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…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of harrow is harrows.
How many letters and syllables are in harrow?
| Letters | 6: H-A-R-R-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,092nd 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 harrow?
Harrow appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,092nd 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 harrow?
- UK /ˈhæɹəʊ/
- US /ˈhæɹoʊ/
- /ˈhɛɹoʊ/
Harrow has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-ne-harrow.ogg, En-us-harrow.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with harrow?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as harrow from its last stressed vowel (/æɹoʊ/):
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 harrow
- harrows plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- harrowing participle, present
- harrowed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does harrow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 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
An obstacle formed by turning an ordinary harrow upside down, the frame being buried.
verb
- 1
To drag a harrow over; to break up with a harrow.
- 2
To traumatize or disturb; to torment, distress or vex.
- 3
To break or tear, as if with a harrow; to wound; to lacerate.
interjection
- 1
obsoleteA call for help, or of distress, alarm etc.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Harrow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | herse , herser |
| German | Egge , eggen , peinigen, quälen |
| Portuguese | ancinho, grade , ancinhar |
| Spanish | grada, rastra, escarificador , escarificar , atormentar, asaetear |
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 harrow come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).