dim
/dɪm/adjective, verb
dim is spelled D-I-M: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 4.2 times per million words in written English, the 12,578th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Dim, the name). As an adjective, dim means “Not bright or colorful” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in dim?
| Letters | 3: D-I-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.2 times per million words; the 12,578th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is dim?
Dim appears 4.2 times per million words in written English, the 12,578th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Dim, 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 dim?
- /dɪm/
Dim 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-us-dim.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with dim?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as dim.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mid.
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 dim
- dimmer comparative
- dimmest superlative
- dims present, singular, he/she/it
- dimming participle, present
- dimmed participle, past
- dim. molto comparative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dim mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not bright or colorful.
The lighting was too dim for me to make out his facial features.
- 2
colloquialNot smart or intelligent.
He may be a bit dim, but he's not entirely stupid.
- 3
Indistinct, hazy or unclear.
His vision grew dimmer as he aged.
- 4
Disapproving, unfavorable: rarely used outside the phrase take a dim view of.
- 5
Clipping of diminished.
verb
- 1
To make something less bright.
He dimmed the lights and put on soft music.
- 2
To become darker.
The lights dimmed briefly when the air conditioning was turned on.
- 3
To render dim, obscure, or dark; to make less bright or distinct.
- 4
To deprive of distinct vision; to hinder from seeing clearly, either by dazzling or clouding the eyes; to darken the senses or understanding of.
- 5
To diminish, dull, or curtail.
All these setbacks had started to dim the hopes of the students.
noun
- 1
archaicDimness.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dim in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tamisé, faible , bête , flou, indistinct |
| German | dämmerig, schummrig , dämlich , verdunkeln, dimmen |
| Portuguese | opaco, sombrio, mortiço , besta, obtuso , indistinto |
| Spanish | dimear |
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 dim come from?
From Middle English dim, dym, from Old English dim, dimm (“dim, dark, gloomy; wretched, grievous, sad, unhappy”), from Proto-West Germanic *dimm, from Proto-Germanic *dimmaz (“dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰem- (“to whisk, smoke; obscure”). Compare Faroese dimmur (“dark”), Icelandic dimmur (“dark”) and dimma (“darkness”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).