winnow
/ˈwɪnoʊ/
"winnow" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“winnow” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To subject (granular material, especially food grain) to a current of air separating heavier and lighter components, as grain from chaff.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | winnow |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈwɪnoʊ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “winnow” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for winnow is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɪnoʊ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for winnow in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wyndwen, from Old English windwian (“to winnow, fan, ventilate”), from Proto-West Germanic *windwōn, from Proto-Germanic *windwōną, *winþijaną (“to throw about, winnow”), from Proto-Indo-European *wē- (“to winnow, thresh”). Cognate with … The correct English form is winnow, spelled W-I-N-N-O-W.
Definition
- 1To subject (granular material, especially food grain) to a current of air separating heavier and lighter components, as grain from chaff.
- 2To separate, sift, analyse, or test by separating items having different values.
- 3To blow upon or toss about by blowing; to set in motion as with a fan or wings.
- 4To move about with a flapping motion, as of wings; to flutter.
Etymology
From Middle English wyndwen, from Old English windwian (“to winnow, fan, ventilate”), from Proto-West Germanic *windwōn, from Proto-Germanic *windwōną, *winþijaną (“to throw about, winnow”), from Proto-Indo-European *wē- (“to winnow, thresh”). Cognate with West Frisian wynje (“to winnow”), dialectal Dutch winden, winnen (“to winnow”), Middle High German winden (“to winnow”), Icelandic vinsa (“to pick out, weed”), Latin vannus (“a winnowing basket”). See fan, van.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “winnow”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-I-N-N-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈwɪnoʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.