realm

/ɹɛlm/

//ɹɛlm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“realm” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,512. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,512
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A territory or state, as ruled by an absolute authority, especially by a king; a kingdom.

Corpus desk

Index EN-realm · realm · English

realm · rank #6,512 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,512
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rational

Nearest frequency peer: rational (-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 “realm”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “realm” 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).

realm vs REM
0% similar
realm vs rel
60% similar
realm vs rear
60% similar

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

Key facts for realm
PropertyValue
Headwordrealm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɛlm/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,512
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “realm”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “rational” (#6,511), “reforms” (#6,513), “Queens” (#6,510). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “realm” is #6,512. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around realm (IPA /ɹɛlm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,512 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for realm, with forms such as "eralm", "raelm", and "reallm". 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, "REM", "rel", "rear", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rewme, realme, reaume, from Old French reaume, realme, reialme (“kingdom”), of unclear origins. A postulated *rēgālimen (“domain, kingdom”), Late Latin or Vulgar Latin cross of regimen with rēgālis is usually cited. The modern spelling p… The correct English form is realm, spelled R-E-A-L-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A territory or state, as ruled by an absolute authority, especially by a king; a kingdom.
  2. 2
    A territory or state, as ruled by an absolute authority, especially by a king; a kingdom.
  3. 3
    A territory or state, as ruled by an absolute authority, especially by a king; a kingdom.
  4. 4
    A sphere of knowledge or of influence; a domain.
  5. 5
    A primary zoogeographical division of the earth's surface.
  6. 6
    A taxonomic rank in the phylogeny of viruses, higher than kingdoms.
  7. 7
    A region or zone forming part of a cosmological system.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And, of this island realm, he and his companion were the undisputed sovereigns.
  2. 1913, Leslie Alexander Toke, Catholic Encyclopedia, "St. Dunstan", Then seeing his life was threatened he fled the realm and crossed over to Flanders, […]

Etymology

From Middle English rewme, realme, reaume, from Old French reaume, realme, reialme (“kingdom”), of unclear origins. A postulated *rēgālimen (“domain, kingdom”), Late Latin or Vulgar Latin cross of regimen with rēgālis is usually cited. The modern spelling predominates from around 1600. The modern pronunciation with /l/ is either a spelling pronunciation or influenced by the etymology.

Synonyms

countrylandkingdomfieldprovince

This word in other languages

esfera(Español)domaine(Français)Reich(Deutsch)domínio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eralm
  • raelm
  • reallm
  • realmm
  • reaml
  • relam
  • rrealm

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of realm - 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.

eralm2raelm2reallm1realmm1reaml2relam2rrealm1
Edit distance from "realm"

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 "realm"?
"realm" is spelled R-E-A-L-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɛlm/.
What does "realm" mean?
As a noun, "realm" means: A territory or state, as ruled by an absolute authority, especially by a king; a kingdom.
What words are commonly confused with "realm"?
"realm" is commonly confused with "REM", "rel", "rear". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "realm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "realm" is /ɹɛlm/. 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 "realm"?
From Middle English rewme, realme, reaume, from Old French reaume, realme, reialme (“kingdom”), of unclear origins. A postulated *rēgālimen (“domain, kingdom”), Late Latin or Vulgar Latin cross of regimen with rēgālis is usually cited. The modern ... 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 "realm", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

rides#6,515pulse#6,507shout#6,519Linda#6,491

Similar misspelling depth

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

ripped7 variantsheels7 variantsGuinea7 variantsguided7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list