Adam

/ˈæd.əm/

//ˈæd.əm// name

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

"adam" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Adam” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,608. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,608
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The first man and the progenitor of the human race.

Corpus desk

Index EN-adam · Adam · English

Adam · rank #2,608 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,608
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH achieve

Nearest frequency peer: achieve (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Adam”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Adam” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Adam vs AM
25% similar
Adam vs add
25% similar
Adam vs arm
25% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Adam
PropertyValue
HeadwordAdam
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈæd.əm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,608
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Adam”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “achieve” (#2,607), “afford” (#2,609), “accurate” (#2,606). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “Adam” is #2,608. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around Adam (IPA /ˈæd.əm/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #2,608 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for Adam, with forms such as "aadm", "adamm", and "addam". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "AM", "add", "arm", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English Adam, from Old English Adam, from Latin Adam, Adamus, from Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám), Ἄδαμος (Ádamos), from Biblical Hebrew אָדָם (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”), from אדמה (adamah, “red earth, ground”). The correct English form is Adam, spelled A-D-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The first man and the progenitor of the human race.
  2. 2
    A male given name from Hebrew.
  3. 3
    Original sin or human frailty.
  4. 4
    Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice, in Christian theology, makes possible the forgiveness of Adam's original sin.
  5. 5
    Designating a neoclassical style of furniture and architecture in the style of Robert and James Adam.
  6. 6
    First human and first prophet of Islam.
  7. 7
    An English surname originating as a patronymic.
  8. 8
    A Scottish surname originating as a patronymic.
  9. 9
    A French surname originating as a patronymic.
  10. 10
    A German surname originating as a patronymic.
  11. 11
    The drug ecstasy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Adam appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. And Adam called his wiues name Eue, because she was the mother of all liuing.
  2. Say Goddeſs, what enſu'd when Raphael, / The affable Arch-angel, had forewarn'd / Adam by dire example to beware / Apoſtaſie,

Etymology

From Middle English Adam, from Old English Adam, from Latin Adam, Adamus, from Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám), Ἄδαμος (Ádamos), from Biblical Hebrew אָדָם (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”), from אדמה (adamah, “red earth, ground”).

This word in other languages

Adam(Español)Adam(Français)Adam(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aadm
  • adamm
  • addam
  • adma
  • daam

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Adam - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aadm2adamm1addam1adma2daam2
Edit distance from "Adam"

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 "Adam"?
"Adam" is spelled A-D-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæd.əm/.
What does "Adam" mean?
As a proper noun, "Adam" means: The first man and the progenitor of the human race.
What words are commonly confused with "Adam"?
"Adam" is commonly confused with "AM", "add", "arm". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Adam"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Adam" is /ˈæd.əm/. 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 "Adam"?
From Middle English Adam, from Old English Adam, from Latin Adam, Adamus, from Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám), Ἄδαμος (Ádamos), from Biblical Hebrew אָדָם (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”), from אדמה (adamah, “red earth, ground”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Adam", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tips#2,601chat#2,616diet#2,622rent#2,592

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

he'd5 variantsload5 variantslane5 variantsit'll5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list