gem

/d͡ʒɛm/

//d͡ʒɛm// noun

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

"gem" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gem” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,670 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,670
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

gem vs go
33% similar
gem vs GM
0% similar
gem vs GF
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for gem
PropertyValue
Headwordgem
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/d͡ʒɛm/
Letters3
Frequency rank#8,670
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gem” 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). gem lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for gem is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /d͡ʒɛm/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,670 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

gem doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "go", "GM", "GF", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is gem, spelled G-E-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine.
  2. 2
    Any precious or highly valued thing or person.
  3. 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.
  4. 4
    A gemma or leaf bud.
  5. 5
    A geometrid moth of the species Orthonama obstipata.
  6. 6
    A package containing programs or libraries for the Ruby programming language.
  7. 7
    A size of type between brilliant (4-point) and diamond (4½-point), running 222 lines to the foot.
  8. 8
    A strong, dominating pitching performance.
  9. 9
    Internet content of good quality.

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

gemstonejewelprecious stonegemstone

This word in other languages

joya(Español)joyau(Français)Edelstein(Deutsch)gema(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 "gem"?
"gem" is spelled G-E-M. The IPA pronunciation is /d͡ʒɛm/.
What does "gem" mean?
As a noun, "gem" means: A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine.
What words are commonly confused with "gem"?
"gem" is commonly confused with "go", "GM", "GF". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gem"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gem" is /d͡ʒɛm/. 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 "gem"?
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. 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 “gem”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-E-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /d͡ʒɛm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “go” - see the side-by-side comparison. gem vs go
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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