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” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #8,670) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#8,670
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gem · gem · English

gem · rank #8,670 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,670
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH forgiveness

Nearest frequency peer: forgiveness (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “gem”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “gem” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

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)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “gem”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “forgiveness” (#8,669), “glen” (#8,671), “foreigners” (#8,668). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gem” is #8,670. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for gem is neighbouring look-alikes ("go", "GM", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /d͡ʒɛm/. Frequency #8,670 among 2,313 “G” headwords. 9 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And on her head she wore a tyre of gold, Adornd with gemmes and owches wondrous fayre, Whose passing price vneath was to be told;
  2. Of six preceding ancestors, that gem, Conferr’d by testament to the sequent issue, Hath it been owed and worn. This is his wife; That ring’s a thousand proofs.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

FDA#8,665Jew#8,683MIA#8,692MTV#8,696

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list