seam and seem are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. seam means “joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces”. seem means “give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect”. seem is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈsim/
1.n.joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces
2.n.a slight depression or fold in the smoothness of a surface
“his face has many lines”
3.n.a stratum of ore or coal thick enough to be mined with profit
“he worked in the coal beds”
/ˈsim/
| seam | seem | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈsim/ | /ˈsim/ |
| Said | seem | seem |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | verb |
| Senses | 4 | 4 |
| How common | Familiar | Core |
| Synonyms | none recorded | look, appear |
Full entry for seam · Full entry for seem · More comparisons
1.v.give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
“She seems to be sleeping”
2.v.seem to be true, probable, or apparent
“It seems that he is very gifted”
3.v.appear to exist
“There seems no reason to go ahead with the project now”