rearm

/ˌɹiːˈɑː(ɹ)m/

//ˌɹiːˈɑː(ɹ)m// verb

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

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

The verdict

“rearm” is uncommon English (frequency #80,796 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,796
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To replace or restore the weapons or arms of a previously defeated, or disarmed army, country, person or other body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rearm · rearm · English

rearm · rank #80,796 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,796
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH razz

Nearest frequency peer: razz (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “rearm”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “rearm” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for rearm
PropertyValue
Headwordrearm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌɹiːˈɑː(ɹ)m/
Letters5
Frequency rank#80,796
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “rearm” in English

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).rearmfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “razz” (#80,794), “recalibration” (#80,798), “recency” (#80,799). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rearm” is #80,796. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

rearm is uncommon English at frequency #80,796 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˌɹiːˈɑː(ɹ)m/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

rearm has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From re- + arm. The correct English form is rearm, spelled R-E-A-R-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    To replace or restore the weapons or arms of a previously defeated, or disarmed army, country, person or other body.
  2. 2
    To arm, or prepare for use, again.

Etymology

From re- + arm.

This word in other languages

réarmer(Français)

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 "rearm"?
"rearm" is spelled R-E-A-R-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɹiːˈɑː(ɹ)m/.
What does "rearm" mean?
As a verb, "rearm" means: To replace or restore the weapons or arms of a previously defeated, or disarmed army, country, person or other body.
How do you pronounce "rearm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rearm" is /ˌɹiːˈɑː(ɹ)m/. 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 "rearm"?
From re- + arm. 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 "rearm", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Rigel#80,819Porth#80,769Rudge#80,833Sarum#80,847

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list