bedlam
/ˈbɛdləm/noun
bedlam is spelled B-E-D-L-A-M: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bedlam means “A place or situation of chaotic uproar, and where confusion prevails” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bedlam is bedlams.
How many letters and syllables are in bedlam?
| Letters | 6: B-E-D-L-A-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,145th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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 bedlam?
Bedlam appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th 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 bedlam?
- /ˈbɛdləm/
Bedlam has 2 syllables (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)-Vealhurl-bedlam.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with bedlam?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as bedlam.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: blamed, beldam, medlab.
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 bedlam
- bedlams plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bedlam mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A place or situation of chaotic uproar, and where confusion prevails.
- 2
obsoleteAn insane person; a lunatic; a madman.
- 3
obsoleteA lunatic asylum; a madhouse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bedlam in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense place or situation of chaos:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cour du roi Pétaud, pétaudière |
| German | Tollhaus, Irrenhaus, Chaos |
| Portuguese | alvoroço, cafarnaum, motim, tumulto |
| Spanish | pandemonio, caos |
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 bedlam come from?
From Bedlam, alternative name of the English lunatic asylum, Bethlem Royal Hospital (royal hospital from 1375, mental hospital from 1403) (earlier St Mary of Bethlehem outside Bishopsgate, hospice in existence from 1329, priory established 1247), since used to mean “a place or situation of madness and chaos”. Bedlam as name of hospital attested 1450. Phonologically, corruption of Bethlem, itself a corruption of Bethlehem (the Biblical town), from Ancient Greek Βηθλεέμ (Bēthleém) from Biblical Hebrew בֵּית לֶחֶם (bêṯ leḥem, literally “house of bread”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).