poem

/ˈpəʊ.ɪm/

//ˈpəʊ.ɪm// noun

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

"poem" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“poem” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,698. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,698
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A literary piece written in verse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-poem · poem · English

poem · rank #4,698 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,698
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pissed

Nearest frequency peer: pissed (-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 “poem”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “poem” 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).

poem vs pop
50% similar
poem vs pot
50% similar
poem vs pos
50% similar

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

Key facts for poem
PropertyValue
Headwordpoem
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpəʊ.ɪm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,698
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “poem”

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).poemlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “pissed” (#4,697), “powder” (#4,699), “pipe” (#4,696). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “poem” is #4,698. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around poem (IPA /ˈpəʊ.ɪm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,698 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for poem, with forms such as "opem", "peom", and "poemm". 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, "pop", "pot", "pos", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French poème, from Latin poēma, from Ancient Greek ποίημα (poíēma), from ποιέω (poiéō, “to make”). Displaced native Old English lēoþ. The correct English form is poem, spelled P-O-E-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A literary piece written in verse.
  2. 2
    A piece of writing in the tradition of poetry, an instance of poetry.
  3. 3
    A piece of poetic writing, that is with an intensity or depth of expression or inspiration greater than is usual in prose.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Some poems, echoing the purpose of early poetic treatises on scientific principles, attempt to elucidate the mathematical concepts that underlie prime numbers. Others play with primes’ cultural associations. Still others derive their structure from mathematical patterns involving primes.

Etymology

From Middle French poème, from Latin poēma, from Ancient Greek ποίημα (poíēma), from ποιέω (poiéō, “to make”). Displaced native Old English lēoþ.

This word in other languages

poema(Español)poème(Français)Gedicht(Deutsch)poesia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opem
  • peom
  • poemm
  • pome
  • ppoem

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of poem - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

opem2peom2poemm1pome2ppoem1
Edit distance from "poem"

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 "poem"?
"poem" is spelled P-O-E-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpəʊ.ɪm/.
What does "poem" mean?
As a noun, "poem" means: A literary piece written in verse.
What words are commonly confused with "poem"?
"poem" is commonly confused with "pop", "pot", "pos". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poem"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poem" is /ˈpəʊ.ɪm/. 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 "poem"?
From Middle French poème, from Latin poēma, from Ancient Greek ποίημα (poíēma), from ποιέω (poiéō, “to make”). Displaced native Old English lēoþ. 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 "poem", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pipe#4,696rude#4,709lion#4,686khan#4,684

Similar misspelling depth

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

AIDS5 variantsoral5 variantsnope5 variantsmenu5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list