JAR Words: From Kitchen Shelves to Musical Dissonance
JAR pulls double duty in English. As a noun, it's the glass container sitting on every kitchen counter. As a verb, it means to shake, rattle, or clash — a jarring sound, a jarring experience. This second meaning connects to the word's origin: JAR likely comes from an imitative root, mimicking the harsh vibrating sound of something struck or shaken. JARGON is the most interesting member of this family. It originally meant the twittering of birds in Old French before it came to mean incomprehensible professional language — the metaphor being that specialized talk sounds like birdsong to outsiders.
JARHEAD (a slang term for a U.S. Marine, referencing the high-and-tight haircut) is valid in Scrabble and scores 18 points base. JARGON itself scores 14 points and appears in crosswords regularly, usually clued through references to specialized language or gibberish. JARFUL and JARFULS round out the practical end of the family. In word games, the J tile is worth 8 points, so any JAR- word puts you at 10+ points before you even finish spelling.
Strategy note: If you're holding J-A-R and have room on the board, JARRING is your best bet at 15 points for 7 tiles — and it uses only common letters beyond the J. For crossword solvers, remember that JARGON can be clued through medicine, law, tech, or any professional field. Check words ending in G for more -ING words like JARRING, and words starting with R for words that might cross with JAR- entries in a grid. The words ending in E page is useful for JARGONIZE-type extensions.
FAQ
Is JARHEAD a valid Scrabble word?
Yes, JARHEAD is valid in SOWPODS and recent TWL updates. It scores 18 points base (J=8, A=1, R=1, H=4, E=1, A=1, D=2). It's a solid 7-letter play, though you need cooperative tile draws to play it. For other military-related word game vocabulary, see words ending in R where many rank titles land.
Where does the word JARGON come from?
JARGON entered English from Old French in the 14th century, where it meant the chattering or warbling of birds. By the 16th century it had shifted to mean any unintelligible language, and later narrowed to mean the specialized vocabulary of a profession or group. The bird connection is still visible in the related word JARGOGLE (an archaic word meaning to confuse). For more words with surprising etymologies, explore words starting with X.