mallam
mal·lam/ˈmæ.ləm/noun
mallam is spelled M-A-L-L-A-M: 6 letters and 2 syllables (mal·lam). It appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 95,993rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mallam means “In Africa, a teacher of the Qur'an” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mallam is mallams.
How many letters and syllables are in mallam?
| Letters | 6: M-A-L-L-A-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: mal·lam |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words; the 95,993rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is mallam?
Mallam appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 95,993rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce mallam?
- UK /ˈmæ.ləm/
- UK /ˈmɑː-/
- US /ˈmæ.ləm/
Mallam has 2 syllables, split mal·lam in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of mallam
- mallams plural
- maalam
- malam
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mallam mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
In Africa, a teacher of the Qur'an.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does mallam come from?
Borrowed from Arabic مُعَلِّم (muʕallim, “teacher”). First attested in the 1820s.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).