rim
/ɹɪm/noun, verb
rim is spelled R-I-M: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 7.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, rim means “An edge around something, especially when circular” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rim is rims.
How many letters and syllables are in rim?
| Letters | 3: R-I-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 7.1 times per million words; the 8,918th 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 rim?
Rim appears 7.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,918th 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 rim?
- US /ɹɪm/
- US [ˈɹʷɪm]
- /ɹəm/
Rim has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-rim.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with rim?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as rim from its last stressed vowel (/ɪm/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mir.
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 rim
- rims plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- rimming participle, present
- rimmed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rim mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An edge around something, especially when circular.
- 2
A wheelrim.
- 3
A semicircular copydesk.
- 4
The narrow surface of wine that meets the glass when it is tilted, used in identifying the age, body, etc.
- 5
UKA membrane.
- 6
UKobsoleteThe membrane enclosing the intestines; the peritoneum, hence loosely, the intestines; the lower part of the abdomen; belly.
- 7
UKA step of a ladder; a rung.
verb
- 1
To form a rim on.
- 2
To follow the contours, possibly creating a circuit.
Palm trees rim the beach.
- 3
To roll around a rim.
Near-synonym: lip out
- 4
To coat the rim of a glass with salt or another powder.
- 5
slangvulgarTo lick the anus of a partner as a sexual act; to perform anilingus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rim in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bord, jante , bouffer le cul |
| German | Rand, Kante |
| Portuguese | borda, orla, aro , orlar |
| Spanish | borde, canto , escarchar |
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 rim come from?
From Middle English rim, rym, rime, from Old English rima (“rim, edge, border, bank, coast”), from Proto-Germanic *rimô, *rembô (“edge, border”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *rem-, *remə- (“to rest, support, be based”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Rim (“plank, wooden cross, trellis”), Old Saxon rimi (“edge; border; trim”), Icelandic rimi (“a strip of land”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).