clem
/klɛm/verb, noun
clem is spelled C-L-E-M: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Clem, the name). As a verb, clem means “To be hungry; starve” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in clem?
| Letters | 4: C-L-E-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,649th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is clem?
Clem appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Clem, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce clem?
- /klɛm/
Clem has one syllable (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: En-au-clem.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with clem
Also written: clam.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of clem
- clems present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- clemming participle, present
- clemmed participle, past
- clam
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does clem mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
UKTo be hungry; starve.
- 2
Alternative form of clam (“to adhere”).
noun
- 1
slangA brick or stone.
- 2
slangOne stone (unit of mass).
- 3
slangvulgarA testicle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does clem come from?
Inherited from Middle English *clemmen, *clammen, from Old English clemman, clæmman (“to press, surround”), from Proto-West Germanic *klammjan (“to squeeze”). Cognate with Dutch klemmen (“to jam, pinch, stick”), German klemmen (“to jam, clamp; to be stuck, stick [to a surface]”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).