# worm

> English word · Noun · IPA /wɜːm/ · frequency rank #10,156

## Definitions
1. A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm.
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. Any creeping or crawling animal, such as a snake, snail, or caterpillar.
4. A type of wingless "dragon", especially a gigantic sea serpent or any kind of dragon.
5. A type of wingless "dragon", especially a gigantic sea serpent or any kind of dragon.
6. A contemptible or devious being.
7. A self-replicating program that propagates through a network, differing from a virus in usually lacking any destructive effects.
8. A graphical representation of the total runs scored across a number of overs.
9. Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
10. Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
11. Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
12. Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
13. Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
14. Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
15. A maggot or any other insect larva with similar shape and behavior.
16. An internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one’s mind with remorse.
17. A strip of linked tiles sharing parallel edges in a tiling.
18. The lytta.
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”).

## Easily confused with
- **wow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-wow)
- **wot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-wot)
- **wry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-wry)
- **worn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-worn)
- **wort** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-wort)
- **wove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-wove)
- **worth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-worth)
- **worst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-worst)
- **worse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-worse)
- **worry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-worry)
- **Worms** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-worms)
- **wo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wo-vs-worm)
- **war** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/war-vs-worm)
- **won** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/won-vs-worm)
- **woo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/woo-vs-worm)
- **woe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/woe-vs-worm)
- **wer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wer-vs-worm)
- **wop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wop-vs-worm)
- **wor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wor-vs-worm)
- **wok** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wok-vs-worm)

## Common misspellings (6)
`owrm`, `womr`, `wormm`, `worrm`, `wrom`, `wworm`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/worm