berm
/bɜː(ɹ)m/
"berm" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“berm” is an uncommon English word, ranked #59,223 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #59,223
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | berm |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /bɜː(ɹ)m/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #59,223 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “berm” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for berm is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɜː(ɹ)m/. Corpus data places it at rank #59,223 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope.
- 2A raised bank or path, especially the bank of a canal opposite the towpath.
- 3One of the flat terraces on the slope of an open-pit mine.
- 4A terrace or shelf of sand along a beach, formed above the high tide water level by wave action.
- 5A long mound or bank of earth, used especially as a barrier or to provide insulation.
- 6A small wall along the edge of a bench of an open-pit mine, intended to prevent items falling over the crest.
- 7A ledge between the parapet and the moat in a fortification.
- 8A strip of land between a street and sidewalk.
- 9The edge of a road.
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
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
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Using “berm”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-E-R-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /bɜː(ɹ)m/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.