# kern

> English word · Noun · IPA /kɜːn/ · frequency rank #23,580

## Definitions
1. A corn; grain; kernel.
2. The last handful or sheaf reaped at the harvest.
3. The harvest home.
4. A doll or figurine raised in celebration of a successful harvest; kern-baby.

## Etymology
From Middle English curn, cooren, variant forms of Middle English corn, see English corn and also Dutch kern, Old High German kerno, cherno, Middle High German kerne, kern, German Kern (“core, kernel”), Old Norse kjarni, Icelandic kjarni, Danish kjerne, Swedish kärna (“core, kernel”); see also kernel.

## Easily confused with
- **key** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-key)
- **kin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kin)
- **kun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kun)
- **Kev** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kev)
- **kew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kew)
- **KKR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kkr)
- **kor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kor)
- **keys** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-keys)
- **khan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-khan)
- **Kurt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kurt)
- **kirk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kirk)
- **Kerr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kerr)
- **Kira** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kira)
- **Klan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-klan)
- **kiln** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kiln)
- **Kwon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kwon)
- **keto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-keto)
- **KORS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kors)
- **Kuhn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kuhn)
- **kwan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kern-vs-kwan)

## Common misspellings (6)
`ekrn`, `kenr`, `kernn`, `kerrn`, `kkern`, `kren`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/kern