arm
/ɑɹm/noun, adjective, verb
arm is spelled A-R-M: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 54 times per million words in written English, the 1,899th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, arm means “The portion of the upper human appendage, from the shoulder to the wrist and sometimes including the hand” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of arm is arms.
How many letters and syllables are in arm?
| Letters | 3: A-R-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 54 times per million words; the 1,899th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is arm?
Arm appears 54 times per million words in written English, the 1,899th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce arm?
- UK /ɑːm/
- US /ɑɹm/
- Australia /ɐːm/
Arm has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-arm.wav, En-us-arm.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with arm?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as arm from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹm/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mar, ram.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of arm
- arms plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- arming participle, present
- armed participle, past
- armer comparative
- more arm comparative
- armest superlative
- most arm superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does arm mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The portion of the upper human appendage, from the shoulder to the wrist and sometimes including the hand.
She stood with her right arm extended and her palm forward to indicate “Stop!”
- 2
The extended portion of the upper limb, from the shoulder to the elbow.
The arm and forearm are parts of the upper limb in the human body.
- 3
A limb, or locomotive or prehensile organ, of an invertebrate animal.
the arms of an octopus
- 4
The part of a piece of clothing that covers the arm.
- 5
A long, narrow, more or less rigid part of an object extending from the main part or centre of the object, such as the armrest of an armchair, a crane, a pair of spectacles or a pair of compasses.
The robot arm reached out and placed the part on the assembly line.
- 6
A bay or inlet off a main body of water.
Shelburne Bay is an arm of Lake Champlain.
- 7
A branch of an organization.
the cavalry arm of the military service
- 8
Power; might; strength; support.
the arm of the law
- 9
A weapon.
- 10
Heraldic bearings or insignia.
The Duke's arms were a sable gryphon rampant on an argent field.
- 11
obsoleteWar; hostilities; deeds or exploits of war.
adjective
- 1
ScotlandUKPoor; lacking in riches or wealth.
- 2
ScotlandUKTo be pitied; pitiful; wretched.
verb
- 1
To supply with armour or (later especially) weapons.
The king armed his knights with swords and shields.
- 2
To supply with the equipment, knowledge, authority, or other tools needed for a particular task; to furnish with capability; to equip.
Many following him, and, in his journeyings, he visited many at their houses, and gave them consolation, arming them with steady resolves, to be patient in suffering and trust to God for their reward; […]
- 3
To prepare (a tool, weapon, or system) for action; to activate.
Remember to arm the alarm system before leaving for work.
- 4
To become prepared for action; to activate.
- 5
To cover or furnish with a plate, or with whatever will add strength, force, security, or efficiency.
to arm the hilt of a sword; to arm a hook in angling
- 6
To take up weapons; to arm oneself.
The sergeant sent out an order to arm the team for the next mission.
- 7
To fit (a magnet) with an armature.
- 8
obsoleteTo take by the arm; to take up in one's arms.
adjective
- 1
Abbreviation of Armenian.
noun
- 1
Initialism of accelerated reply mail, a service of the United States Postal Service.
- 2
Initialism of adjustable rate mortgage.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Arm in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bras , arme , armer , s'armer |
| German | Arm , Waffe, Bewaffnung, Rüstung , rüsten, bewaffnen |
| Portuguese | braço , arma , armar , perna , armas, insígnias |
| Spanish | brazo , arma , armar, municionar, amunicionar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does arm come from?
From Middle English arm, from Old English earm (Anglian arm), from Proto-West Germanic *arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“arm”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂(e)rmos (“a fitting, joint; arm, forequarter”), a suffixed form of *h₂er- (“to join, fit together”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).