# glimmer

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɡlɪmə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #25,073

## Definitions
1. A faint light; a dim glow.
2. A flash of light.
3. A faint or remote possibility (as it were a flash of light).
4. Mica.
5. The opposite to a trigger; micro-moments of regulation that foster feelings of well-being

## Etymology
From Middle English glimeren, glemeren (“to glimmer”), equivalent to glim (“to shine”) + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with German Low German glimmern (“to glimmer”), German glimmern (“to glimmer”), Danish glimre (“to glimmer”), Swedish glimra (“to glimmer”). Doublet of glimpse.
Sense 5 was coined in the 2020s in analogy to trigger.

## Easily confused with
- **glitter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glimmer-vs-glitter)
- **Grammer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glimmer-vs-grammer)
- **gimme** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gimme-vs-glimmer)
- **glider** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glider-vs-glimmer)

## Common misspellings (9)
`gglimmer`, `gilmmer`, `glimemr`, `glimer`, `glimmerr`, `glimmre`, `gllimmer`, `glmimer`, `lgimmer`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/glimmer