yam
/jæm/noun, verb
yam is spelled Y-A-M: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, yam means “Any climbing vine of the genus Dioscorea in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, usually cultivated” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of yam is yams.
How many letters and syllables are in yam?
| Letters | 3: Y-A-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,462nd 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 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 yam?
Yam appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd 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 yam?
- US /jæm/
- [jeəm] ~ [jɛəm]
- British /jam/
Yam has one syllable (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-us-yam.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with yam?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as yam from its last stressed vowel (/æm/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: may.
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 yam
- yams plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- yamming participle, present
- yammed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does yam mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any climbing vine of the genus Dioscorea in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, usually cultivated.
- 2
The edible, starchy, tuberous root of that plant, a tropical staple food.
- 3
USA sweet potato; a tuber from the species Ipomoea batatas.
- 4
ScotlandA potato.
- 5
An oca; a tuber from the species Oxalis tuberosa.
- 6
Taro.
- 7
An orange-brown colour, like the flesh of the yam.
- 8
Home.
verb
- 1
UKslangTo eat.
- 2
To dunk on; to beat humiliatingly.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:yam.
- 3
Pronunciation spelling of am.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Yam in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | igname |
| German | Yamswurzel, Yams |
| Portuguese | inhame |
| Spanish | ñame, ñamera , ame, yame, ñangate |
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 yam come from?
Borrowed from Portuguese inhame and Spanish ñame, likely from Wolof ñàmbi (“cassava”) or a related word. The term was spelled yam as early as 1657.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).