jo
/d͡ʒoː/noun
jo is spelled J-O: 2 letters and one syllable. It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,784th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Jo, the name). People search “jo vs joe” about 30 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, jo means “Darling, sweetheart” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of jo is jos or jōs.
How many letters and syllables are in jo?
| Letters | 2: J-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 11 times per million words; the 6,784th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is jo?
Jo appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,784th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Jo, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce jo?
- /d͡ʒoː/
Jo has one syllable (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-jo.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with jo
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: joe.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of jo
- jos plural
- joe
- jōs plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does jo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
ScotlandDarling, sweetheart.
On Old long syne my Jo, on Old long syne, That thou canst never once reflect, on Old long syne.
- 2
The staff used in the Japanese martial art of jodo or jojutsu.
noun
- 1
slangInitialism of jerk off.
- 2
Initialism of job order.
- 3
A job order employee.
- 4
Initialism of job offer.
- 5
Abbreviation of jail officer.
- 6
Abbreviation of junior officer.
noun
- 1
An approximately 1.28 m (4.18 foot) long wooden staff, used in some Japanese martial arts.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does jo come from?
From Scots jo (“joy”), from Middle English joye, from Old French joie, from Late Latin gaudia, neuter plural (mistaken as feminine singular) of Latin gaudium (“joy”), from gaudēre (“to be glad, rejoice”). Doublet of joy and gaudy (“Oxford college reunion”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).