realm
/ɹɛlm/noun
realm is spelled R-E-A-L-M: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,456th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, realm means “A sphere of knowledge or of influence; a domain” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of realm is realms.
How many letters and syllables are in realm?
| Letters | 5: R-E-A-L-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 11 times per million words; the 6,456th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 realm?
Realm appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,456th 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 realm?
- US /ɹɛlm/
- /rɛːm/
- /rɛlm/
Realm has one syllable (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-realm.ogg, En-au-realm.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with realm?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as realm from its last stressed vowel (/ɛlm/):
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 realm
- realms plural
- realme
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does realm mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
archaicA territory or state, as ruled by an absolute authority, especially by a king; a kingdom.
- 2
archaicAn otherworldly dimension or domain – magical, ethereal, or otherwise.
- 3
archaicobsoleteThe spiritual state of which God is the head; the Kingdom of Heaven.
- 4
A sphere of knowledge or of influence; a domain.
the realm of physics
- 5
A primary zoogeographical division of the earth's surface.
- 6
A taxonomic rank in the phylogeny of viruses, higher than kingdoms.
- 7
archaicA region or zone forming part of a cosmological system.
- 8
A grouping of equally trusted computers managed together on a network.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Realm in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | domínio, campo, reino, âmbito |
| Spanish | esfera , reino, realme (disused) |
| French | royaume , domaine |
| German | Reich, Königreich, Kaiserreich |
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 realm come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).