came
/ˈkeɪ̯m/preposition, noun, verb
came is spelled C-A-M-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 316 times per million words in written English, the 298th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a preposition, came means “Used to indicate that the following event, period, or change in state occurred in the past, after a time of waiting, enduring, or anticipation” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in came?
| Letters | 4: C-A-M-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 316 times per million words; the 298th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is came?
Came appears 316 times per million words in written English, the 298th 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 came?
- US /ˈkeɪ̯m/
- US [ˈkʰeɪ̯m]
- /ˈkeːm/
Came has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-came.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with came?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as came from its last stressed vowel (/eɪm/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mace, acme.
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 came
- cames plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does came mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
preposition
- 1
Used to indicate that the following event, period, or change in state occurred in the past, after a time of waiting, enduring, or anticipation
noun
- 1
A grooved strip of metal, traditionally usually lead or brass and today sometimes stainless steel, used to hold panes of glass together in glazing.
verb
- 1
simple past of come
- 2
colloquialnonstandardpast participle of come
- 3
simple past of cum
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Came in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense A grooved strip of metal for glasswork:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | plomb |
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 came come from?
See come.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).