sham
/ˈʃeə̯m/adjective, noun, verb
sham is spelled S-H-A-M: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, sham means “Intended to deceive; false” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sham?
| Letters | 4: S-H-A-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,005th 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 sham?
Sham appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th 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 sham?
- /ˈʃæm/
- [ˈʃæm]
- US /ˈʃeə̯m/
Sham has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-sham.wav, En-us-sham.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sham?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sham from its last stressed vowel (/eəm/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mash.
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 sham
- more sham comparative
- most sham superlative
- shams plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- shamming participle, present
- shammed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sham mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Intended to deceive; false.
It was only a sham wedding: they didn't care much for one another, but wanted their parents to stop hassling them.
- 2
Counterfeit; unreal.
noun
- 1
A fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine.
The time-share deal was a sham.
- 2
Trickery, hoaxing.
A con-man must be skilled in the arts of sham and deceit.
- 3
A false front, or removable ornamental covering.
- 4
A decorative cover for a pillow.
- 5
slangClipping of champagne.
verb
- 1
To deceive, cheat, lie.
He shammed a migraine to avoid the exam.
- 2
To obtrude by fraud or imposition.
- 3
To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sham in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | falsch, Schein- , Fälschung, Imitat , Schwindel, Mogelei |
| Spanish | falso, fingido, ficticio, sacha , engaño, truco |
| French | faux-semblant , feinte, tromperie, ruse, astuce , tromper |
| Portuguese | farsa |
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 sham come from?
Probably a dialectal form of shame. Alternatively, sham is a term that is used to describe the bottom thick base of a glass, usually a wine or stem glass, where the stem meets the bulbous shape bowl. Glass manufacturers would increase the "sham" to deceive customers into thinking a glass holds more than it actually does. For example, a manufacturer would mold a 12oz glass with a larger "sham" in the base to reduce the volume of the glasses to fit 10-11oz of liquid.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).