come in

/ˌkʌm ˈɪn/

//ˌkʌm ˈɪn// verb

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

"come-in" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“come in” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To enter.

Corpus desk

Index EN-come-in · come in · English

come in · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for come in
PropertyValue
Headwordcome in
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌkʌm ˈɪn/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “come in” sits in English frequency

come inranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

come in is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 18 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for come in, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English com in, imperative form of Middle English incomen (“to come in; enter”), from Old English incuman (“to come in; enter”), from Proto-Germanic *inkwemaną (“to come in; enter”), equivalent to come + in. Compare Dutch kom in (“come in”), sin… The correct English form is come in, spelled C-O-M-E- -I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To enter.
  2. 2
    To arrive.
  3. 3
    To become relevant, applicable, or useful.
  4. 4
    To become available.
  5. 5
    To have a strong enough signal to be able to be received well.
  6. 6
    To join or enter; to begin playing with a group.
  7. 7
    To enter a plan or group; to join in.
  8. 8
    To surrender; to turn oneself in.
  9. 9
    To yield or surrender.
  10. 10
    To begin transmitting.
  11. 11
    To function in the indicated manner.
  12. 12
    To finish a race or similar competition in a particular position, such as first place, second place, or the like.
  13. 13
    To finish a race or similar competition in first place.
  14. 14
    To rise.
  15. 15
    To become fashionable.
  16. 16
    To fully develop.
  17. 17
    To report to a workplace for a shift.
  18. 18
    To be correctly placed in preparation for printing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Please come in and look around.
  2. Come in, it's cold outside.

Etymology

From Middle English com in, imperative form of Middle English incomen (“to come in; enter”), from Old English incuman (“to come in; enter”), from Proto-Germanic *inkwemaną (“to come in; enter”), equivalent to come + in. Compare Dutch kom in (“come in”), singular imperative form of inkomen (“to come in; enter”), German einkommen (“to come in; enter”). See also income, incoming.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "come in"?
"come in" is spelled C-O-M-E- -I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/.
What does "come in" mean?
As a verb, "come in" means: To enter.
How do you pronounce "come in"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "come in" is /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/. 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 "come in"?
From Middle English com in, imperative form of Middle English incomen (“to come in; enter”), from Old English incuman (“to come in; enter”), from Proto-Germanic *inkwemaną (“to come in; enter”), equivalent to come + in. Compare Dutch kom in (“come... 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.

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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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list