winnow
/ˈwɪnoʊ/verb, noun
winnow is spelled W-I-N-N-O-W: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 109,062nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, winnow means “To subject (granular material, especially food grain) to a current of air separating heavier and lighter components, as grain from chaff” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in winnow?
| Letters | 6: W-I-N-N-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 13 million words; the 109,062nd 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 winnow?
Winnow appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 109,062nd 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 winnow?
- US /ˈwɪnoʊ/
- UK /ˈwɪnəʊ/
Winnow has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-winnow.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with winnow?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as winnow from its last stressed vowel (/ɪnoʊ/):
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 winnow
- winnows present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- winnowing participle, present
- winnowed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does winnow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To subject (granular material, especially food grain) to a current of air separating heavier and lighter components, as grain from chaff.
- 2
To separate, sift, analyse, or test by separating items having different values.
They winnowed the field to twelve.
- 3
To blow upon or toss about by blowing; to set in motion as with a fan or wings.
- 4
datedTo move about with a flapping motion, as of wings; to flutter.
noun
- 1
That which winnows or which is used in winnowing; a contrivance for fanning or winnowing grain.
- 2
The act of winnowing
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Winnow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | vanner , séparer , tarare, van, crible |
| German | worfeln, windsichten, trennen , separieren, aussortieren |
| Portuguese | joeirar , joeira |
| Spanish | ahechar, cribar , separar, hacer la criba, separar el grano de la paja |
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 winnow come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).