ram
/ɹæm/noun, verb, adjective
ram is spelled R-A-M: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,206th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ram means “A male sheep, typically uncastrated” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ram is rams.
How many letters and syllables are in ram?
| Letters | 3: R-A-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 15 times per million words; the 5,206th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is ram?
Ram appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,206th 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 ram?
- UK /ɹæm/
- British /ɹam/
- /ɾam/
Ram has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-ram.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with ram
Also written: rambo.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with ram?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ram from its last stressed vowel (/æm/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: arm, mar.
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 ram
- rams plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- ramming participle, present
- rammed participle, past
- more ram comparative
- most ram superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ram mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A male sheep, typically uncastrated.
- 2
A battering ram; a heavy object used for breaking through doors.
- 3
A warship intended to sink other ships by ramming them.
- 4
A reinforced section of the bow of a warship, intended to be used for ramming other ships.
- 5
A piston powered by hydraulic pressure.
- 6
An act of ramming.
- 7
A weight which strikes a blow, in a ramming device such as a pile driver, steam hammer, or stamp mill.
- 8
slangAlternative form of rambo.
verb
- 1
To collide with (an object), usually with the intention of damaging it or disabling its function.
The man, driving an SUV, then rammed the gate, according to police.
- 2
To strike (something) hard, especially with an implement.
To build a sturdy fence, you have to ram the posts deep into the ground.
- 3
To seat a cartridge, projectile, or propellant charge in the breech of a firearm by pushing or striking.
After placing the cartridge in the musket, ram it down securely with the ramrod.
- 4
To force, cram or thrust (someone or something) into or through something.
I quickly rammed another charge down the barrel and took aim.
- 5
To fill or compact by pounding or driving.
They rammed the earth walls to make them more compact
- 6
slangTo thrust during sexual intercourse.
adjective
- 1
Rancid; offensive in smell or taste.
noun
- 1
Acronym of random-access memory.
- 2
Acronym of random-access machine.
- 3
Acronym of relative atomic mass; sometimes styled r.a.m..
- 4
Acronym of responsibility assignment matrix.
- 5
Acronym of reliability availability maintainability.
- 6
Acronym of radar-absorbent material, a material which absorbs radar.
noun
- 1
A US Korean War anti-tank weapon.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ram in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | RAM, mémoire RAM , bélier , éperonner |
| German | RAM , Schafbock, Schafsbock, Widder, Hammel, Schöps |
| Portuguese | RAM, memória RAM , carneiro, aríete , abalroar |
| Spanish | RAM, memoria RAM , carnero, morueco, ariete, ramiro |
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 ram come from?
From Middle English ram, rom, ramme, from Old English ramm (“ram”), from Proto-Germanic *rammaz (“ram”), possibly from *rammaz (“strong”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Rom (“ram”), Dutch ram (“a male sheep”), German Ramm, Ramme (“ram”). Possibly akin also to Danish ram (“sharp; acrid; rank”), Swedish ram (“strong; perfect”), Faroese ramur (“strong; competent”), Icelandic rammur (“strong; sturdy”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).