harem

/ˈhɑːɹəm/

//ˈhɑːɹəm// noun

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

"harem" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“harem” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,467. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,467
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The private section of a Muslim household forbidden to male strangers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-harem · harem · English

harem · rank #24,467 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,467
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hails

Nearest frequency peer: hails (-2 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “harem”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “harem” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

harem vs hem
60% similar
harem vs hrm
60% similar
harem vs have
60% similar

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

Key facts for harem
PropertyValue
Headwordharem
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɑːɹəm/
Letters5
Frequency rank#24,467
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “harem”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).haremlands 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 “hails” (#24,465), “hegemony” (#24,469), “habitable” (#24,464). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “harem” is #24,467. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around harem (IPA /ˈhɑːɹəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,467 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for harem, with forms such as "ahrem", "haerm", and "haremm". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hem", "hrm", "have", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish حرم (harem) Turkish harem, from Arabic حَرَم (ḥaram, “something prohibited; sanctuary, women”); and later also from حَرِيم (ḥarīm) with same meaning, both from حَرُمَ (ḥaruma, “be forbidden or unlawful”). Doublet of haram and h… The correct English form is harem, spelled H-A-R-E-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The private section of a Muslim household forbidden to male strangers.
  2. 2
    A group of someone's girlfriends, wives and/or concubines in a polygamous household.
  3. 3
    A group of female animals (cows) herded and controlled by a male animal (bull) of that species for breeding purposes. Such behaviour is exhibited by bovids including cattle and buffalo as well as moose, elephants, seals (including elephant seals), sea lions, and baboons.
  4. 4
    A group of female birds mated to or associated with a breeding male.
  5. 5
    Any significant number of women together as a group; a bevy.
  6. 6
    A genre of anime and manga in which a man is the love interest of three or more women.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "In the room next to her own, lived the harem of a merchant who had just arrived from Constantinople with merchandise. It consisted of his wife, children, and two female slaves, who being well off in their circumstances, enjoyed the comforts and conveniences of life, and eat and drank unsparingly every day."
  2. I nodded my head and proceeded to make a flank attack on the nearest harem. All went well until I aimed a blow at an outlying cow's head and fell short. She snorted and tried to scramble away. I ran in close and struck another blow, hitting the shoulder instead of the head.

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish حرم (harem) Turkish harem, from Arabic حَرَم (ḥaram, “something prohibited; sanctuary, women”); and later also from حَرِيم (ḥarīm) with same meaning, both from حَرُمَ (ḥaruma, “be forbidden or unlawful”). Doublet of haram and herem.

This word in other languages

harén(Español)harem(Français)Harem(Deutsch)harém(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahrem
  • haerm
  • haremm
  • harme
  • harrem
  • hharem
  • hraem

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of harem - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ahrem2haerm2haremm1harme2harrem1hharem1hraem2
Edit distance from "harem"

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 "harem"?
"harem" is spelled H-A-R-E-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɑːɹəm/.
What does "harem" mean?
As a noun, "harem" means: The private section of a Muslim household forbidden to male strangers.
What words are commonly confused with "harem"?
"harem" is commonly confused with "hem", "hrm", "have". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "harem"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "harem" is /ˈhɑːɹəm/. 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 "harem"?
Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish حرم (harem) Turkish harem, from Arabic حَرَم (ḥaram, “something prohibited; sanctuary, women”); and later also from حَرِيم (ḥarīm) with same meaning, both from حَرُمَ (ḥaruma, “be forbidden or unlawful”). Doublet of h... 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 "harem", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hails#24,465Hilda#24,470grids#24,462hippo#24,472

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

inept7 variantsjuror7 variantsLuton7 variantsMacon7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list