jar

/dʒɑː/

//dʒɑː// noun

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

"jar" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“jar” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,934 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,934
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An earthenware container, either with two or no handles, for holding oil, water, wine, etc., or used for burial.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

jar vs Jr
33% similar
jar vs jo
33% similar
jar vs JI
0% similar

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

Key facts for jar
PropertyValue
Headwordjar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dʒɑː/
Letters3
Frequency rank#7,934
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “jar” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). jar lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for jar is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dʒɑː/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,934 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for jar, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Jr", "jo", "JI", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English jarre (“jar”), from Medieval Latin jarra, or from Middle French jarre (“liquid measure”) (from Old French jare; modern French jarre (“earthenware jar”)), or from Spanish jarra, jarro (“jug, pitcher; mug, stein”), all from Arabi… The correct English form is jar, spelled J-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An earthenware container, either with two or no handles, for holding oil, water, wine, etc., or used for burial.
  2. 2
    A small, approximately cylindrical container, normally made of clay or glass, for holding fruit, preserves, etc., or for ornamental purposes.
  3. 3
    A container and its contents; as much as fills such a container; a jarful.
  4. 4
    A pint glass
  5. 5
    A glass of beer or cider, served by the pint.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English jarre (“jar”), from Medieval Latin jarra, or from Middle French jarre (“liquid measure”) (from Old French jare; modern French jarre (“earthenware jar”)), or from Spanish jarra, jarro (“jug, pitcher; mug, stein”), all from Arabic جَرَّة (jarra, “earthen receptacle”). The word is cognate with Italian giara (“jar; crock”), Occitan jarro, Portuguese jarra, jarro (“jug; ewer, pitcher”). The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

tarro(Español)jarre(Français)Krug(Deutsch)jarro(Português)

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 "jar"?
"jar" is spelled J-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /dʒɑː/.
What does "jar" mean?
As a noun, "jar" means: An earthenware container, either with two or no handles, for holding oil, water, wine, etc., or used for burial.
What words are commonly confused with "jar"?
"jar" is commonly confused with "Jr", "jo", "JI". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "jar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "jar" is /dʒɑː/. 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 "jar"?
Inherited from Middle English jarre (“jar”), from Medieval Latin jarra, or from Middle French jarre (“liquid measure”) (from Old French jare; modern French jarre (“earthenware jar”)), or from Spanish jarra, jarro (“jug, pitcher; mug, stein”), all ... 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.

Using “jar”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is J-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dʒɑː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Jr” - see the side-by-side comparison. jar vs Jr
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list