glom
/ɡlɒm/
"glom" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“glom” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 4
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To take.
Corpus desk
Index EN-glom · glom · English
glom · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "G" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | glom |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɡlɒm/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “glom” in English
Rare enough to double-check
glom is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ɡlɒm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for glom in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Scottish English glom, glaum (“to grab or snatch at”), a variant of clam, claum (“to clutch, seize, grasp, reach for”), from Middle English *clammen, from Old English clæmman (“to pinch, press, inclose”), from Proto-West Germanic *klammjan. Related to … The correct English form is glom, spelled G-L-O-M.
Definition
- 1To take.
- 2To grab hold of, seize; catch, grab or latch onto.
- 3To clump up, to seize together into a lump or conglomeration.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how glom appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Mac glommed a handful of Bott's hair and ear and twisted it, “Ya be listenin' ta me now that I 'ave yer attention. And ifin ya don't, I'll be obliged ta hack off yer pretty little ear wif me blade. Would ya like that, Mr. Mouth,[…]
As soon as I was alone I glommed a quick gander into the bedroom, saw the Bonham punk was resting quietly under the covers. I withdrew, made myself cozy in an easy chair, began burning gaspers and reading magazines.
Etymology
From Scottish English glom, glaum (“to grab or snatch at”), a variant of clam, claum (“to clutch, seize, grasp, reach for”), from Middle English *clammen, from Old English clæmman (“to pinch, press, inclose”), from Proto-West Germanic *klammjan. Related to clamp.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.