yarrow

/ˈjæɹəʊ/

//ˈjæɹəʊ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"yarrow" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“yarrow” is uncommon English (frequency #51,513 among 2,763 “Y” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,513
frequency rank, English
2,763
“Y” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of several pungent Eurasian and North American herbs, of the genus Achillea, used in traditional herbal medicine.

Key facts for yarrow
PropertyValue
Headwordyarrow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈjæɹəʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#51,513
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “yarrow” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). yarrow lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

yarrow is uncommon English at frequency #51,513 among 2,763 “Y” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈjæɹəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

yarrow has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ȝarowe, yarowe, yarwe, from Old English ġearwe, from Proto-West Germanic *garwā (“yarrow, yarrow-like herbs”), perhaps derived from *garu (“prepared, ready (of food)”), as the plant was used medicinally for digestion. Cognate with Dutch … The correct English form is yarrow, spelled Y-A-R-R-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several pungent Eurasian and North American herbs, of the genus Achillea, used in traditional herbal medicine.
  2. 2
    Common yarrow, Achillea millefolium, the type species of the genus.

Etymology

From Middle English ȝarowe, yarowe, yarwe, from Old English ġearwe, from Proto-West Germanic *garwā (“yarrow, yarrow-like herbs”), perhaps derived from *garu (“prepared, ready (of food)”), as the plant was used medicinally for digestion. Cognate with Dutch gerw (“yarrow”) and German (Schaf-)garbe.

Synonyms

milfoilachilleadevil's nettlesanguinarysoldier's woundwortthousand-leafyarrowbloodwortnosebleed plantold man's pepperEuropean green woodpeckerhewholehickwallgreen woodpeckerwhetilewhitwallyaffingaleyaffleyaffleryockel

This word in other languages

achillée(Français)Schafgarbe(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "yarrow"?
"yarrow" is spelled Y-A-R-R-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈjæɹəʊ/.
What does "yarrow" mean?
As a noun, "yarrow" means: Any of several pungent Eurasian and North American herbs, of the genus Achillea, used in traditional herbal medicine.
How do you pronounce "yarrow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "yarrow" is /ˈjæɹəʊ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "yarrow"?
From Middle English ȝarowe, yarowe, yarwe, from Old English ġearwe, from Proto-West Germanic *garwā (“yarrow, yarrow-like herbs”), perhaps derived from *garu (“prepared, ready (of food)”), as the plant was used medicinally for digestion. Cognate w... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “yarrow”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is Y-A-R-R-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈjæɹəʊ/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list