# straw

> English word · Noun · IPA /stɹɔː/ · frequency rank #7,294

## Definitions
1. A dried stalk of a cereal plant.
2. Such dried stalks considered collectively; this bulk matter may be a chief salable product, a by-product, fodder, bedding, or green manure, depending on region and on current market conditions.
3. A drinking straw.
4. A pale, yellowish beige colour, like that of a dried straw.
5. Anything proverbially worthless; the least possible thing.
6. A straw owner.

## Etymology
From Middle English straw, from Old English strēaw, from Proto-West Germanic *strau, from Proto-Germanic *strawą (“that which is strewn, straw”), from Proto-Indo-European *strew- (“to spread around, strew”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sträi (“straw”), West Frisian strie (“straw”), Dutch stro (“straw”), German Low German Stroh (“straw”), German Stroh (“straw”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish strå (“straw”), Icelandic strá (“straw”), Walloon strin, Albanian shtrohë (“kennel”).

## Easily confused with
- **sura** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/straw-vs-sura)
- **strip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/straw-vs-strip)
- **stray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/straw-vs-stray)
- **strut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/straw-vs-strut)
- **sutra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/straw-vs-sutra)
- **strep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/straw-vs-strep)
- **stream** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/straw-vs-stream)
- **streak** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/straw-vs-streak)
- **strewn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/straw-vs-strewn)
- **saw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/saw-vs-straw)
- **STA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sta-vs-straw)
- **STR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/str-vs-straw)
- **stay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stay-vs-straw)
- **star** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/star-vs-straw)
- **shaw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shaw-vs-straw)
- **stan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stan-vs-straw)
- **Sara** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sara-vs-straw)
- **stat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stat-vs-straw)
- **stab** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stab-vs-straw)
- **stew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stew-vs-straw)

## Common misspellings (8)
`srtaw`, `sstraw`, `starw`, `straww`, `strraw`, `strwa`, `sttraw`, `tsraw`

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