Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell jar

hear itjar/dʒɑr/nounLong vowels

What it means: A glass container with a wide opening.

In a sentence: I keep cookies in a big glass jar.

The part people get wrong

Often misspelled as jaar or jarr.

Same family: jarred, jarring, jolt, shock, impact. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: This sense of "jar" meaning a shock or jolt comes from an older verb meaning to shake or disturb, which appeared in English in the 1500s. It may be linked to the sound of a sudden harsh noise, showing how English often turns sound-imitating words into abstract meanings.

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

Spelling.School is a spaced-repetition spelling practice: ten minutes a day, every word spoken aloud, every miss explained, and every word coming back just before you would forget it. Try five words without signing up.