earworm

/ˈɪəwɜːm/

//ˈɪəwɜːm// noun

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

"earworm" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“earworm” is uncommon English (frequency #78,561 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,561
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tune that keeps replaying in one's head or that one keeps thinking about, especially if unwanted.

Corpus desk

Index EN-earworm · earworm · English

earworm · rank #78,561 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,561
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH EBIT

Nearest frequency peer: EBIT (+1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “earworm”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “earworm” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for earworm
PropertyValue
Headwordearworm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪəwɜːm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#78,561
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “earworm” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).earwormfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “EBIT” (#78,562), “dyspnea” (#78,559), “Eckersley” (#78,563). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “earworm” is #78,561. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

earworm is uncommon English at frequency #78,561 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɪəwɜːm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for earworm in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From ear + worm; senses 1 and 3 (“tune that keeps replaying in one’s head”; “earwig”) are a calque of German Ohrwurm (“tune that pops up in one’s memory all the time; earwig”) (from the idea of a creature burrowing into the ear, an erroneous belief where ea… The correct English form is earworm, spelled E-A-R-W-O-R-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A tune that keeps replaying in one's head or that one keeps thinking about, especially if unwanted.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis of corn earworm (“larva of the moths Helicoverpa zea (syn. Heliothis zea) and Helicoverpa armigera, which are agricultural pests”).
  3. 3
    An earwig (“insect of the order Dermaptera”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The chorus [of "Meeting in the Ladies Room" by Klymaxx] spawned an earworm so potent that women still mutter it as they exit for a bathroom break twenty years later.
  2. "It's been haunting me," she said. / "Yeah, well," he said, weakly. "Sometimes tunes do that." [...] "I don't mean that I heard it once before and caught an earworm. [...]"

Etymology

From ear + worm; senses 1 and 3 (“tune that keeps replaying in one’s head”; “earwig”) are a calque of German Ohrwurm (“tune that pops up in one’s memory all the time; earwig”) (from the idea of a creature burrowing into the ear, an erroneous belief where earwigs are concerned), while sense 2 (“moth larva”) refers to the fact that these pests infest, among other things, ears of maize or sweet corn.

This word in other languages

ver d’oreille(Français)Ohrwurm(Deutsch)chiclete(Português)

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

How do you spell "earworm"?
"earworm" is spelled E-A-R-W-O-R-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪəwɜːm/.
What does "earworm" mean?
As a noun, "earworm" means: A tune that keeps replaying in one's head or that one keeps thinking about, especially if unwanted.
How do you pronounce "earworm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "earworm" is /ˈɪəwɜːm/. 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 "earworm"?
From ear + worm; senses 1 and 3 (“tune that keeps replaying in one’s head”; “earwig”) are a calque of German Ohrwurm (“tune that pops up in one’s memory all the time; earwig”) (from the idea of a creature burrowing into the ear, an erroneous belie... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "earworm", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dyspnea#78,559ducting#78,554drizzly#78,551dousing#78,544

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list