begum
/bəˈɡʌm/verb, noun
begum is spelled B-E-G-U-M: 5 letters. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, begum means “To daub or cover with gum” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in begum?
| Letters | 5: B-E-G-U-M |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,368th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is begum?
Begum appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th 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 begum?
- /bəˈɡʌm/
As a noun (“a high-ranking Muslim woman, especially in South Asia”): /ˈbeɪɡəm/, /ˈbɛɡəm/.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-begum.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-begum2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-begum3.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of begum
- begums present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- begumming participle, present
- begummed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does begum mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To daub or cover with gum.
noun
- 1
a high-ranking Muslim woman, especially in South Asia
- 2
the form of address for such a woman
noun
- 1
An honorific title from Central and South Asia, often used by leading women in society.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Begum in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a high ranking woman:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Begum |
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 begum come from?
From be- + gum.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).