Xiamen

/ʃjɑːˈmɛn/

//ʃjɑːˈmɛn// name

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

"xiamen" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Xiamen” is uncommon English (frequency #57,183 among 1,183 “X” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,183
frequency rank, English
1,183
“X” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A prefecture-level city and subprovincial city of Fujian, in southeastern China.

Key facts for Xiamen
PropertyValue
HeadwordXiamen
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ʃjɑːˈmɛn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#57,183
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Xiamen” 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). Xiamen lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

Xiamen is uncommon English at frequency #57,183 among 1,183 “X” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ʃjɑːˈmɛn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A prefecture-level city and subprovincial city of Fujian, in southeastern China.".

Xiamen doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 廈門 /厦門 /厦门 (Xiàmén). The correct English form is Xiamen, spelled X-I-A-M-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A prefecture-level city and subprovincial city of Fujian, in southeastern China.

Etymology

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 廈門 /厦門 /厦门 (Xiàmén).

Synonyms

Amoy

This word in other languages

Xiamen(Français)

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 "Xiamen"?
"Xiamen" is spelled X-I-A-M-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ʃjɑːˈmɛn/.
What does "Xiamen" mean?
As a proper noun, "Xiamen" means: A prefecture-level city and subprovincial city of Fujian, in southeastern China.
How do you pronounce "Xiamen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Xiamen" is /ʃjɑːˈmɛn/. 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 "Xiamen"?
From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 廈門 /厦門 /厦门 (Xiàmén). 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 “Xiamen”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is X-I-A-M-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ʃjɑːˈmɛn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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