Elma

name

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

"elma" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Elma” is uncommon English (frequency #69,822 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,822
frequency rank, English
18,836
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A female given name originating as a coinage.

Key facts for Elma
PropertyValue
HeadwordElma
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters4
Frequency rank#69,822
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Elma” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Elma is uncommon English at frequency #69,822 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as aproper noun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for Elma in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: A 19th-century creation, usually explained as a form of Wilhelmina or Italian Guglielma. It has also been recorded as a blend of Elizabeth and Mary. The correct English form is Elma, spelled E-L-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female given name originating as a coinage.
  2. 2
    A city in Iowa.
  3. 3
    A town in New York.
  4. 4
    A city in Washington.

Etymology

A 19th-century creation, usually explained as a form of Wilhelmina or Italian Guglielma. It has also been recorded as a blend of Elizabeth and Mary.

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 "Elma"?
"Elma" is spelled E-L-M-A.
What does "Elma" mean?
As a proper noun, "Elma" means: A female given name originating as a coinage.
What is the origin of the word "Elma"?
A 19th-century creation, usually explained as a form of Wilhelmina or Italian Guglielma. It has also been recorded as a blend of Elizabeth and Mary. 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.

Using “Elma”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is E-L-M-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list