erm
/ɝm/interjection
erm is spelled E-R-M: 3 letters. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an interjection, erm means “Used in hesitant speech, or to express uncertainty” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in erm?
| Letters | 3: E-R-M |
|---|---|
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 erm?
Erm appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,798th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce erm?
- UK /ɜːm/
- US /ɝm/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-erm.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with erm?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as erm from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹm/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mer, rem.
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).
What does erm mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
interjection
- 1
UKUsed in hesitant speech, or to express uncertainty.
She was going to, erm... the salon, I think.
- 2
UKUsed to express embarrassment or subtle disagreement.
Erm, I don't think that was supposed to happen.
noun
- 1
Initialism of enterprise relationship management.
- 2
Ellipsis of ERM protein family.
adjective
- 1
Abbreviation of ezrin-radixin-moesin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Erm in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense expression of uncertainty:
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 erm come from?
Onomatopoeic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).