narrow
nar·row/ˈnæɹəʊ/adjective, noun, verb
narrow is spelled N-A-R-R-O-W: 6 letters and 2 syllables (nar·row). It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, narrow means “Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in narrow?
| Letters | 6: N-A-R-R-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: nar·row |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,683rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is narrow?
Narrow appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce narrow?
- UK /ˈnæɹəʊ/
- /ˈnæɹoʊ/
- /ˈnɛɹoʊ/
Narrow has 2 syllables, split nar·row in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-narrow.wav, En-us-ne-narrow.ogg, En-us-narrow.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with narrow?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as narrow from its last stressed vowel (/æɹəʊ/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of narrow
- narrower comparative
- narrowest superlative
- narrowe
- narrows plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- narrowing participle, present
- narrowed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does narrow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth.
a narrow hallway
- 2
Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed.
- 3
Restrictive; without flexibility or latitude.
a narrow interpretation
- 4
Contracted; of limited scope; bigoted.
a narrow mind
- 5
Having a small margin or degree.
a narrow escape
- 6
datedLimited as to means; straitened
narrow circumstances
- 7
Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish.
- 8
Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact.
noun
- 1
A narrow passage, especially a contracted part of a stream, lake, or sea; a strait connecting two bodies of water.
the narrows of New York harbor
verb
- 1
To reduce in width or extent; to contract.
We need to narrow the search.
- 2
To get narrower.
The road narrows.
- 3
To partially lower one's eyelids in a way usually taken to suggest a defensive, aggressive or penetrating look.
He stepped in front of me, narrowing his eyes to slits.
- 4
To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.
- 5
To convert to a data type that cannot hold as many distinct values.
to narrow an int variable to a short variable
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Narrow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | étroit , réduire, rétrécir |
| German | eng, begrenzt, schmal , beschränkt, unflexibel , bigott |
| Portuguese | estreito, estreita , estreitar , estreitar-se |
| Spanish | estrecho, angosto , estrechar, angostar , estrecharse |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does narrow come from?
From Middle English narow, narowe, narewe, narwe, naru, from Old English nearu (“narrow, strait, confined, constricted, not spacious, limited, petty; limited, poor, restricted; oppressive, causing anxiety (of that which restricts free action of body or mind), causing or accompanied by difficulty, hardship, oppressive; oppressed, not having free action; strict, severe”), from Proto-West Germanic *naru, from Proto-Germanic *narwaz (“constricted, narrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ner- (“to turn, bend, twist, constrict”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).