marrow

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

/ˈmæɹəʊ/

//ˈmæɹəʊ// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“marrow” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,364. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,364
frequency rank, English: 4,057
“M” headwords: 7
tracked misspellings: 19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The substance inside bones which produces blood cells.

Corpus desk

Index EN-marrow · marrow · English

marrow · rank #14,364 · 7 variants · 19 confusables

FREQ-MID #14,364
LEN-LONG 6 letters
VOW-2 2 vowels
CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
VAR-MID 7 variants
BOOK-MID 4,057
PHOTO-FINISH maneuver

Nearest frequency peer: maneuver (-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.

magistrates

85,641
mai

85,640
Mali

85,639
maneuver

85,638
marrow

85,637
marvelous

85,636

What this shows Bars show where “marrow” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around marrow (IPA /ˈmæɹəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,364 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.
Chop me up, I like to be hurt / Drink my marrow and blood for dessert

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "marrow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

madden#14,358 pastry#14,378 Kerala#14,348 quirky#14,388

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

logos7 variants Locke7 variants Jonah7 variants Quran7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "marrow". Here's where to go from here.

"marrow" maps to 19 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "marry". View pair
7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
Usage frequency rank #14,364 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
Browse more English words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse
PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.