berm

/bɜː(ɹ)m/

//bɜː(ɹ)m// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“berm” is uncommon English (frequency #59,223 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,223
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.

Corpus desk

Index EN-berm · berm · English

berm · rank #59,223 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,223
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Bermondsey

Nearest frequency peer: Bermondsey (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “berm”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “berm” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for berm
PropertyValue
Headwordberm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/bɜː(ɹ)m/
Letters4
Frequency rank#59,223
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “berm” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).bermfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Bermondsey” (#59,224), “Bellew” (#59,221), “Bhatia” (#59,226). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “berm” is #59,223. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

berm is uncommon English at frequency #59,223 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /bɜː(ɹ)m/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for berm in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Dutch berm (“strip of roadside grass, verge”), probably via French berme, from Middle Dutch barm, baerm, barem (“verge, bank”), from Old Dutch *barm, from Proto-West Germanic *barm, from Proto-Germanic *barmaz (“edge, border, seam”). The correct English form is berm, spelled B-E-R-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.
  2. 2
    A raised bank or path, especially the bank of a canal opposite the towpath.
  3. 3
    One of the flat terraces on the slope of an open-pit mine.
  4. 4
    A terrace or shelf of sand along a beach, formed above the high tide water level by wave action.
  5. 5
    A long mound or bank of earth, used especially as a barrier or to provide insulation.
  6. 6
    A small wall along the edge of a bench of an open-pit mine, intended to prevent items falling over the crest.
  7. 7
    A ledge between the parapet and the moat in a fortification.
  8. 8
    A strip of land between a street and sidewalk.
  9. 9
    The edge of a road.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how berm appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The big canals in Europe, in Holland, have a great big berm on the side of the canal several feet wide, which they leave there on purpose to plant reeds in, so as to get a reedy vegetation to protect their slope. Then, beyond that, there is an earthen slope that is grassed and sodded.
  2. On some beaches, the berm grows higher in summer and flattens out in the rougher winter seas.

Etymology

From Dutch berm (“strip of roadside grass, verge”), probably via French berme, from Middle Dutch barm, baerm, barem (“verge, bank”), from Old Dutch *barm, from Proto-West Germanic *barm, from Proto-Germanic *barmaz (“edge, border, seam”).

This word in other languages

berma(Español)Bankett(Deutsch)

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 "berm"?
"berm" is spelled B-E-R-M. The IPA pronunciation is /bɜː(ɹ)m/.
What does "berm" mean?
As a noun, "berm" means: A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.
How do you pronounce "berm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "berm" is /bɜː(ɹ)m/. 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 "berm"?
From Dutch berm (“strip of roadside grass, verge”), probably via French berme, from Middle Dutch barm, baerm, barem (“verge, bank”), from Old Dutch *barm, from Proto-West Germanic *barm, from Proto-Germanic *barmaz (“edge, border, seam”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "berm", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bole#59,239ASIO#59,202arvo#59,199AAPL#59,160

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list