James

\dʒɛms\

/\dʒɛms\/ name

The verdict

“James” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,131 in French word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#2,131
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Prénom masculin anglais.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

James vs jme
40% similar
James vs Jane
60% similar
James vs Jamy
60% similar

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

Key facts for James
PropertyValue
HeadwordJames
LanguageFrench
Part of speechProper noun
IPA\dʒɛms\
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,131
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “James” sits in French 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). James 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 French entry for James is 5 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \dʒɛms\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,131 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Prénom masculin anglais.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for James, with forms such as "ajmes", "jaems", and "jamess". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "jme", "Jane", "Jamy", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is James, spelled J-A-M-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Prénom masculin anglais.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ajmes,jaems,jamess,jammes,jamse,jjames,jmaes

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of James - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ajmes2jaems2jamess1jammes1jamse2jjames1jmaes2
Edit distance from "James"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "James"?
"James" is spelled J-A-M-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is \dʒɛms\.
What does "James" mean?
As a proper noun, "James" means: Prénom masculin anglais.
What words are commonly confused with "James"?
"James" is commonly confused with "jme", "Jane", "Jamy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "James"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "James" is \dʒɛms\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "James" come from?
"James" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “James”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is J-A-M-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \dʒɛms\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “jme” - see the side-by-side comparison. James vs jme
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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