worm

/wɜːm/

//wɜːm// noun

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

"worm" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“worm” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,156 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#10,156
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

worm vs wow
50% similar
worm vs wot
50% similar
worm vs wry
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for worm
PropertyValue
Headwordworm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/wɜːm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#10,156
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “worm” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). worm lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for worm is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /wɜːm/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,156 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 19 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for worm, with forms such as "owrm", "womr", and "wormm". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "wow", "wot", "wry", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English worm, werm, wurm, wirm, from Old English wyrm (“worm, snake”), from Proto-Germanic *wurmiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis, possibly from *wer- (“to turn”). Doublet of vermin and wyrm, the latter of which is a fairly recent borrowing d… The correct English form is worm, spelled W-O-R-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm.
  2. 2
    More loosely, any of various tubular invertebrates resembling annelids but not closely related to them, such as velvet worms, acorn worms, flatworms, or roundworms.
  3. 3
    Any creeping or crawling animal, such as a snake, snail, or caterpillar.
  4. 4
    A type of wingless "dragon", especially a gigantic sea serpent or any kind of dragon.
  5. 5
    A type of wingless "dragon", especially a gigantic sea serpent or any kind of dragon.
  6. 6
    A contemptible or devious being.
  7. 7
    A self-replicating program that propagates through a network, differing from a virus in usually lacking any destructive effects.
  8. 8
    A graphical representation of the total runs scored across a number of overs.
  9. 9
    Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
  10. 10
    Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
  11. 11
    Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
  12. 12
    Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
  13. 13
    Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
  14. 14
    Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
  15. 15
    A maggot or any other insect larva with similar shape and behavior.
  16. 16
    An internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one’s mind with remorse.
  17. 17
    A strip of linked tiles sharing parallel edges in a tiling.
  18. 18
    The lytta.
  19. 19
    A dance, or dance move, in which the dancer lies on the floor and undulates the body horizontally thereby moving forwards.

Etymology

From Middle English worm, werm, wurm, wirm, from Old English wyrm (“worm, snake”), from Proto-Germanic *wurmiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis, possibly from *wer- (“to turn”). Doublet of vermin and wyrm, the latter of which is a fairly recent borrowing directly from the Old English. (computing): First computer usage by John Brunner in his 1975 book The Shockwave Rider. Cognates Germanic cognates include Dutch worm, West Frisian wjirm, German Wurm, Swedish orm (“snake”), Norwegian Nynorsk orm (“earthworm or snake”), Danish orm and Yiddish וואָרעם (vorem). Indo-European cognates include Latin vermis (“worm”), Lithuanian var̃mas (“insect, midge”), Albanian rrime (“rainworm”), Ancient Greek ῥόμος (rhómos, “woodworm”).

This word in other languages

gusano(Español)ver(Français)Wurm(Deutsch)verme(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: owrm,womr,wormm,worrm,wrom,wworm

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of worm - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

owrm2womr2wormm1worrm1wrom2wworm1
Edit distance from "worm"

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 "worm"?
"worm" is spelled W-O-R-M. The IPA pronunciation is /wɜːm/.
What does "worm" mean?
As a noun, "worm" means: A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm.
What words are commonly confused with "worm"?
"worm" is commonly confused with "wow", "wot", "wry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "worm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "worm" is /wɜːm/. 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 "worm"?
From Middle English worm, werm, wurm, wirm, from Old English wyrm (“worm, snake”), from Proto-Germanic *wurmiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis, possibly from *wer- (“to turn”). Doublet of vermin and wyrm, the latter of which is a fairly recent b... 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.

Using “worm”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is W-O-R-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /wɜːm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “wow” - see the side-by-side comparison. worm vs wow
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list