Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

seem

/ˈsiːm/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.08 in modern English

Syllables
seem
IPA
/ˈsiːm/
6
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To appear; to look outwardly; to be perceived as.

verb

To befit; to beseem.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English semen (“to seem, befit, be becoming”), from Old Norse sœma (“to conform to, beseem, befit”), from Proto-Germanic *sōmijaną (“to unite, fit”), from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; whole”). Cognate with Scots seme (“to be fitting; beseem”), Danish sømme (“to beseem”), Old Swedish søma, Faroese søma (“to be proper”). Related also to Old Norse sómi (“honour”) ( > archaic Danish somme (“decent comportment”)), Old Norse sœmr (“fitting, seemly”), Old English sēman (“to reconcile, bring an agreement”), Old English sōm (“agreement”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

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Questions

How do you pronounce seem?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsiːm/.
What does seem mean?
To appear; to look outwardly; to be perceived as.
Where does seem come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce seem

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “seem”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsiːm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “seem”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “seem” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.