amma

/ˈʌmə/

//ˈʌmə// noun

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

The verdict

“amma” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #37,316 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#37,316
frequency rank, English
4
letters
1
tracked misspelling
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - mother

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

amma vs arm
50% similar
amma vs Amy
25% similar
amma vs ana
50% similar

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

Key facts for amma
PropertyValue
Headwordamma
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʌmə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#37,316
Misspellings tracked1
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “amma” 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). amma lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for amma is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʌmə/. Corpus data places it at rank #37,316 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "mother".

Our generated misspelling index lists 1 likely wrong-spelling variant for amma, including "amam". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "arm", "Amy", "ana", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Related to Tamil அம்மா (ammā, “mother”), Hindi अम्मा (ammā), Malayalam അമ്മ (amma), Kannada ಅಮ್ಮ (amma, “mother”) Telugu అమ్మ (amma, “mother”), Sinhalese අම්මා (ammā, “mother”), or Classical Syriac ܐܡܐ (emma, “mother”). The correct English form is amma, spelled A-M-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    mother

Etymology

Related to Tamil அம்மா (ammā, “mother”), Hindi अम्मा (ammā), Malayalam അമ്മ (amma), Kannada ಅಮ್ಮ (amma, “mother”) Telugu అమ్మ (amma, “mother”), Sinhalese අම්මා (ammā, “mother”), or Classical Syriac ܐܡܐ (emma, “mother”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amam

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of amma - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

amam2
Edit distance from "amma"

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 "amma"?
"amma" is spelled A-M-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌmə/.
What does "amma" mean?
As a noun, "amma" means: mother
What words are commonly confused with "amma"?
"amma" is commonly confused with "arm", "Amy", "ana". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "amma"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "amma" is /ˈʌmə/. 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 "amma"?
Related to Tamil அம்மா (ammā, “mother”), Hindi अम्मा (ammā), Malayalam അമ്മ (amma), Kannada ಅಮ್ಮ (amma, “mother”) Telugu అమ్మ (amma, “mother”), Sinhalese අම්මා (ammā, “mother”), or Classical Syriac ܐܡܐ (emma, “mother”). 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 “amma”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-M-M-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʌmə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “arm” - see the side-by-side comparison. amma vs arm
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list