gem
/d͡ʒɛm/noun, verb
gem is spelled G-E-M: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 7.4 times per million words in written English, the 8,669th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, gem means “A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of gem is gems.
How many letters and syllables are in gem?
| Letters | 3: G-E-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 7.4 times per million words; the 8,669th 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 gem?
Gem appears 7.4 times per million words in written English, the 8,669th 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 gem?
- /d͡ʒɛm/
- /d͡ʒɪm/
Gem 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-gem.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with gem?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as gem.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: meg.
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 gem
- gems plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- gemming participle, present
- gemmed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gem mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine.
- 2
Any precious or highly valued thing or person.
She's an absolute gem.
- 3
Anything of small size, or expressed within brief limits, which is regarded as a gem on account of its beauty or value, such as a small picture, a verse of poetry, or an epigram.
a gem of wit
- 4
Internet content of good quality.
- 5
obsoleteA gemma or leaf bud.
- 6
A geometrid moth of the species Orthonama obstipata.
- 7
A package containing programs or libraries for the Ruby programming language.
- 8
obsoleteA size of type between brilliant (4-point) and diamond (4½-point), running 222 lines to the foot.
verb
- 1
To adorn with, or as if with, gems.
noun
- 1
A native or resident of the American state of Idaho.
noun
- 1
Initialism of ground-effect machine.
- 2
Acronym of Graphite-Epoxy Motor.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gem in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | joyau, pierre précieuse , merle blanc, oiseau rare |
| German | Edelstein, Juwel, Kleinod |
| Portuguese | gema, pedra preciosa , pérola |
| Spanish | alhaja, gema , primor |
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 gem come from?
Inherited from Middle English gemme, gimme, yimme, ȝimme, from Old English ġimm, from Proto-West Germanic *gimmu (“gem”) and Old French gemme (“gem”), both from Latin gemma (“a swelling bud; jewel, gem”). Doublet of gemma and Gemma.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).