James

/d͡ʒeɪmz/

//d͡ʒeɪmz// name

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

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

The verdict

“James” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #809. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#809
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The twentieth book of the New Testament of the Bible, the general epistle of James.

Corpus desk

Index EN-james · James · English

James · rank #809 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #809
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH haven't

Nearest frequency peer: haven't (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “James”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “James” 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).

James vs Jas
60% similar
James vs Jane
60% similar
James vs jaws
40% similar

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

Key facts for James
PropertyValue
HeadwordJames
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/d͡ʒeɪmz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#809
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “James”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “haven't” (#808), “LED” (#810), “hate” (#807). Among 796 “J” headwords, “James” is #809. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around James (IPA /d͡ʒeɪmz/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #809 among 796 “J” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for James, with forms such as "ajmes", "jaems", and "jamess". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Jas", "Jane", "jaws", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: The English New Testament form of Jacob, from Middle English James, from Old French James, from Vulgar Latin Iācōmus, spoken and altered pronunciation of Latin Iācōbus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Ἰακώβ (Iakṓb), from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿăqōḇ).… The correct English form is James, spelled J-A-M-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The twentieth book of the New Testament of the Bible, the general epistle of James.
  2. 2
    One of two Apostles, James the Greater and James the Less, often identified with James, brother of Jesus.
  3. 3
    A male given name from Hebrew popular since the Middle Ages. Also a common middle name.
  4. 4
    An English surname originating as a patronymic.
  5. 5
    A placename
  6. 6
    A placename
  7. 7
    A placename
  8. 8
    A placename

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
  2. […] And Normans call me James Fitz-James. / Thus watch I o'er insulted laws, / Thus learn to right the injured cause. […]

Etymology

The English New Testament form of Jacob, from Middle English James, from Old French James, from Vulgar Latin Iācōmus, spoken and altered pronunciation of Latin Iācōbus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Ἰακώβ (Iakṓb), from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿăqōḇ). Doublet of Jacques, Jacob, Iago, Jago, Yago, Hamish, Seamus, Tiago, and Santiago. In reference to the Ecuadorian island, a modification of the earlier name Duke of York's Island after its eponymous duke's coronation as James II of England. See Occitan Jacme for an intermediary between Old French James and Catalan Jaume.

This word in other languages

Santiago(Español)Jacques(Français)Jakobus(Deutsch)Diogo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ajmes
  • jaems
  • jamess
  • jammes
  • jamse
  • jjames
  • jmaes

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ajmes2jaems2jamess1jammes1jamse2jjames1jmaes2
Edit distance from "James"

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 "James"?
"James" is spelled J-A-M-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /d͡ʒeɪmz/.
What does "James" mean?
As a proper noun, "James" means: The twentieth book of the New Testament of the Bible, the general epistle of James.
What words are commonly confused with "James"?
"James" is commonly confused with "Jas", "Jane", "jaws". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "James"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "James" is /d͡ʒeɪmz/. 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 "James"?
The English New Testament form of Jacob, from Middle English James, from Old French James, from Vulgar Latin Iācōmus, spoken and altered pronunciation of Latin Iācōbus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Ἰακώβ (Iakṓb), from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב ... 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 "James", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lower#812chief#804style#818trade#796

Similar misspelling depth

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

cannot7 variantsblood7 variantsChina7 variantsrange7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list