marrow

Name: marrow, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈmæɹəʊ/

//ˈmæɹəʊ// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“marrow” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,364 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#14,364
frequency rank, English: 6
letters: 7
tracked misspellings: 19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The substance inside bones which produces blood cells.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

marrow vs marry

67% similar

marrow vs mirror

67% similar

marrow vs morrow

83% similar

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

Key facts for marrow
Property	Value
Headword	marrow
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈmæɹəʊ/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#14,364
Misspellings tracked	7
Confusable pairs	19
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “marrow” 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). marrow lands here:

#14,364

#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 marrow is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmæɹəʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,364 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for marrow, with forms such as "amrrow", "marorw", and "marow". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 19 confusable-pair relationships, "marry", "mirror", "morrow", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mary, marow, marwe, marowȝ, from Old English mearg, from Proto-West Germanic *maʀg, from Proto-Germanic *mazgą, *mazgaz, from Proto-Indo-European *mosgʰos. Compare West Frisian moarch, Dutch merg, German Mark, Swedish märg, Icelandic mer… The correct English form is marrow, spelled M-A-R-R-O-W.

Definition

1
The substance inside bones which produces blood cells.
2
A kind of vegetable similar to a large courgette, zucchini or squash.
3
The pith of certain plants.
4
The essence; the best part.
5
The inner meaning or purpose.
6
Bone marrow biopsy.
7
Semen.

Etymology

From Middle English mary, marow, marwe, marowȝ, from Old English mearg, from Proto-West Germanic *maʀg, from Proto-Germanic *mazgą, *mazgaz, from Proto-Indo-European *mosgʰos. Compare West Frisian moarch, Dutch merg, German Mark, Swedish märg, Icelandic mergur, and also Russian мозг (mozg, “brain”), Polish mózg (“brain”), Ashkun amōźã, Kamkata-viri muč, muj, Waigali muj, Persian مغز (maġz, “brain”), Sanskrit मज्जन् (majján). Doublet of maghaz.

This word in other languages

médula(Español)moelle(Français)Mark(Deutsch)medula(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amrrow,marorw,marow,marroww,marrwo,mmarrow,mrarow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of marrow - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "marrow"

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 "marrow"?

"marrow" is spelled M-A-R-R-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæɹəʊ/.

What does "marrow" mean?

As a noun, "marrow" means: The substance inside bones which produces blood cells.

What words are commonly confused with "marrow"?

"marrow" is commonly confused with "marry", "mirror", "morrow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "marrow"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "marrow" is /ˈmæɹəʊ/. 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 "marrow"?

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 “marrow”

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

The one correct English spelling is M-A-R-R-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈmæɹəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “marry” - see the side-by-side comparison. marrow vs marry
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.