# yard

> English word · Noun · IPA /jɑːd/ · frequency rank #2,654

## Definitions
1. A small, usually uncultivated area adjoining or (now especially) within the precincts of a house or other building.
2. The property surrounding one's house, typically dominated by one's lawn.
3. An enclosed outdoors area designated for a specific purpose, e.g. on farms, railways etc.
4. A place where moose or deer herd together in winter for pasture, protection, etc.
5. One’s house or home.

## Etymology
From Middle English yerd, yard, ȝerd, ȝeard, from Old English ġeard (“yard, garden, fence, enclosure”), from Proto-West Germanic *gard, from Proto-Germanic *gardaz (“enclosure, yard”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰórdʰos, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- (“to enclose”).
See also North Frisian guard, Guart (“garden, yard”), Dutch gaard, gaarde (“garden, yard”), German Garten (“garden, yard”), Danish, Swedish gård (“farm, estate, land; court, yard”), Faroese, Icelandic garður (“garden; fence”), Norn gart (“farm”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk gard, gård (“farm; townhouse”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐍃 (gards, “court, yard; house”), Lithuanian gardas (“pen, enclosure”), Russian го́род (górod, “town”), Serbo-Croatian, Slovene grad (“town”), Albanian gardh (“fence”), Romanian gard (“fence”), Avestan 𐬔𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬛𐬵𐬀 (gərədha, “dev's cave”), Sanskrit गृह (gṛha, “house, habitation, home, dwelling”)), Medieval Latin gardinus, jardinus (“garden, yard”). Doublet of garden, garth, and gord.

## Easily confused with
- **yr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yr)
- **yay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yay)
- **yrs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yrs)
- **yer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yer)
- **yaw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yaw)
- **yas** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yas)
- **yat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yat)
- **Yau** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yau)
- **year** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-year)
- **york** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-york)
- **Yuri** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yuri)
- **yarn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yarn)
- **yawn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yawn)
- **yaya** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yaya)
- **yore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yore)
- **years** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-years)
- **yards** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yards)
- **yearn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yard-vs-yearn)
- **ya** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ya-vs-yard)
- **yah** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/yah-vs-yard)

## Common misspellings (6)
`ayrd`, `yadr`, `yardd`, `yarrd`, `yrad`, `yyard`

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