# soe

> English word · Noun · IPA /səʊ/ · frequency rank #30,594

## Definitions
1. a large wooden vessel for carrying water, especially one to be carried on a pole between two people.

## Etymology
From Middle English sō (“large tub, vat”), from Old English sā (“a tub, pail, vessel”) and/or Old Norse sár (“large cask”) (acc. s.sá), both from Proto-Germanic *saihaz (“bucket, vat”), from Proto-Indo-European *seyk- (“to reach, grasp”). Cognate with Swedish så (“large wooden water vessel”).

## Easily confused with
- **SS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-ss)
- **SP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-sp)
- **su** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-su)
- **SW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-sw)
- **SV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-sv)
- **Sy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-sy)
- **son** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-son)
- **sun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-sun)
- **sub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-sub)
- **sum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-sum)
- **spy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-spy)
- **sue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-sue)
- **spa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-spa)
- **sox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-sox)
- **sol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-sol)
- **soy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-soy)
- **SUV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-suv)
- **sup** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-sup)
- **STD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-std)
- **sow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/soe-vs-sow)

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