underarm
/ˈʌndɚˌɑɹm/noun, adjective, verb
underarm is spelled U-N-D-E-R-A-R-M: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,838th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, underarm means “The armpit” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of underarm is underarms.
How many letters and syllables are in underarm?
| Letters | 8: U-N-D-E-R-A-R-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 60,838th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 underarm?
Underarm appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,838th 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 underarm?
- US /ˈʌndɚˌɑɹm/
Underarm has 3 syllables (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-au-underarm.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with underarm?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as underarm (/ʌndəɹɑɹm/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: unmarred.
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 underarm
- underarms plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- underarming participle, present
- underarmed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does underarm mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The armpit.
underarm deodorant
- 2
Old-fashioned and now outlawed style of bowling in which the arm is not swung over the shoulder.
adjective
- 1
For use under the arm.
verb
- 1
To supply with insufficient weaponry.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does underarm come from?
From under- + arm. The armpit sense is not old, historically speaking (1920s), and it is believed to have arisen as a euphemism in advertising.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).