balm
/bɑm/noun, verb
balm is spelled B-A-L-M: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,906th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, balm means “Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of balm is balms.
How many letters and syllables are in balm?
| Letters | 4: B-A-L-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.8 times per million words; the 20,906th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| 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 balm?
Balm appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,906th 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 balm?
- UK /bɑːm/
- US /bɑm/
- US /bɔm/
Balm 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: En-us-balm.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with balm
Sounds like: BOM, bomb (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with balm?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as balm from its last stressed vowel (/ɑm/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: lamb, blam.
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 balm
- balms plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- balming participle, present
- balmed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does balm mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of various aromatic resins exuded from certain plants, especially trees of the genus Commiphora of Africa, Arabia and India and Myroxylon of South America.
- 2
An aromatic preparation for embalming the dead.
- 3
A plant or tree yielding such substance.
- 4
Any soothing oil or lotion, especially an aromatic one.
- 5
Something soothing.
Classical music is a sweet balm for our sorrows.
- 6
The lemon balm, Melissa officinalis.
- 7
Any of a number of other aromatic herbs with a similar citrus-like scent, such as bee balm and horsebalm.
verb
- 1
archaicTo anoint with balm, or with anything medicinal.
- 2
To soothe; to mitigate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does balm come from?
Inherited from Middle English bawme, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Middle French baume, from Old French basme, from Latin balsamum, itself from Ancient Greek βάλσαμον (bálsamon). Spelling modified 16th c. to conform to Latin etymology. Doublet of balsam and desman.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).