jaw

/d͡ʒɔː/

//d͡ʒɔː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“jaw” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #7,354) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#7,354
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of the bones, usually bearing teeth, which form the framework of the mouth.

Corpus desk

Index EN-jaw · jaw · English

jaw · rank #7,354 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,354
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH irrelevant

Nearest frequency peer: irrelevant (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “jaw”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “jaw” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

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

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

Key facts for jaw
PropertyValue
Headwordjaw
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/d͡ʒɔː/
Letters3
Frequency rank#7,354
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “jaw”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “irrelevant” (#7,353), “jin” (#7,355), “intake” (#7,352). Among 796 “J” headwords, “jaw” is #7,354. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for jaw is neighbouring look-alikes ("Jr", "jo", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /d͡ʒɔː/. Frequency #7,354 among 796 “J” headwords. 10 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

jaw doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. 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: From Middle English jawe/jowe (“jaw; sides of the lower face”, 14th century), the further origin of which is disputed. Either: * From Anglo-Norman jowe, from Old French joe (“cheek; jaw”), from Vulgar Latin *ga(v)ota (“cheek”), of uncertain further origin. … The correct English form is jaw, spelled J-A-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of the bones, usually bearing teeth, which form the framework of the mouth.
  2. 2
    The part of the face below the mouth.
  3. 3
    Anything resembling the jaw (sense 1) of an animal in form or action; the mouth or way of entrance.
  4. 4
    A notch or opening.
  5. 5
    A notched or forked part, adapted for holding an object in place.
  6. 6
    One of a pair of opposing parts which are movable towards or from each other, for grasping or crushing anything between them.
  7. 7
    The inner end of a boom or gaff, hollowed in a half circle so as to move freely on a mast.
  8. 8
    Impudent, abusive, or worthless talk.
  9. 9
    An axle guard.
  10. 10
    The curved part of the cushion marking the entry to the pocket.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His jaw dropped in amazement.
  2. I'm up and jaws are on the floor Lovers in the bathroom and a line outside the door

Etymology

From Middle English jawe/jowe (“jaw; sides of the lower face”, 14th century), the further origin of which is disputed. Either: * From Anglo-Norman jowe, from Old French joe (“cheek; jaw”), from Vulgar Latin *ga(v)ota (“cheek”), of uncertain further origin. ** It has been objected that the rhyming of jowe (“jaw”) with clowe (“claw”) in Middle English demonstrates that it did not have the vowel /uː/. This would be a concern if /uː/ were the vowel to expect from a borrowing of the Old French word, which it is not. Compare English paw < Middle English pawe/powe < Anglo-Norman powe < Old French poe. * From Middle English *chowe, from Old English *ċēowe. The main difficulties with this theory are the notable lack of evidence and the late attestation of chaw (early 16th century). If it is correct, then the further origin would be Proto-West Germanic *keuwā (“jaw”), whence Saterland Frisian Kiuwe, Dutch kieuw, German Keu, Käu. For the initial consonant, compare jowl as a variant of chavel/chawl. It is also conceivable that the word is a merger of two coincidentally similar sources. Gradually displaced Middle English chavel (from Old English ċeafl).

This word in other languages

quijada(Español)mâchoire(Français)Kiefer(Deutsch)mandíbula(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 "jaw"?
"jaw" is spelled J-A-W. The IPA pronunciation is /d͡ʒɔː/.
What does "jaw" mean?
As a noun, "jaw" means: One of the bones, usually bearing teeth, which form the framework of the mouth.
What words are commonly confused with "jaw"?
"jaw" 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 "jaw"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "jaw" is /d͡ʒɔː/. 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 "jaw"?
From Middle English jawe/jowe (“jaw; sides of the lower face”, 14th century), the further origin of which is disputed. Either: * From Anglo-Norman jowe, from Old French joe (“cheek; jaw”), from Vulgar Latin *ga(v)ota (“cheek”), of uncertain furthe... 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 "jaw", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

jin#7,355gig#7,344USB#7,407PAL#7,258

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list