margin
/ˈmɑɹ.d͡ʒɪn/noun, verb
margin is spelled M-A-R-G-I-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,521st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, margin means “The edge of the paper, typically left blank when printing but sometimes used for annotations etc” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of margin is margins.
How many letters and syllables are in margin?
| Letters | 6: M-A-R-G-I-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 19 times per million words; the 4,521st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is margin?
Margin appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,521st 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 margin?
- UK /ˈmɑː.d͡ʒɪn/
- US /ˈmɑɹ.d͡ʒɪn/
- Australia /ˈmaː.d͡ʒɪn/
Margin has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-margin.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with margin?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as margin (/ɑɹdʒɪn/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: arming.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of margin
- margins plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- margining participle, present
- margined participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does margin mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The edge of the paper, typically left blank when printing but sometimes used for annotations etc.
- 2
The edge or border of any flat surface.
- 3
The edge defining inclusion in or exclusion from a set or group.
- 4
A difference or ratio between results, characteristics, scores.
margin of victory
- 5
A permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits.
margin of error
- 6
The yield or profit; the selling price minus the cost of production.
- 7
Collateral security deposited with a broker, to compensate the broker in the event of loss in the speculative buying and selling of stocks, commodities, etc.
- 8
That which is ancillary; periphery.
This model merely nips at the margins.
verb
- 1
To add a margin to; to furnish with a margin.
- 2
To enter (notes etc.) into the margin.
- 3
To trade (securities etc.) on margin (collateral).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Margin in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | marge |
| German | Seitenrand , Gewinnspanne, Gewinnmarge, Marge , Einschuss |
| Portuguese | margem |
| Spanish | margen |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does margin come from?
From Middle English margyn, from Latin marginem (possibly via Old French margin), accusative of margō (“edge, brink, border, margin”). Doublet of marge and margo.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).