Most French nouns that end in the letters -me are masculine. This holds true even though the final e is silent. The pattern applies to common words and more technical terms alike.

Examples of masculine -me nouns:

• le tourisme – “the tourism”
• le problème – “the problem”
• le racisme – “the racism”
• le fascisme – “the fascism”
• le nazisme – “the nazism”
• le féminisme – “the feminisme”
• le communisme – “the communism”
• le capitalisme – “the capitalism”
• le socialisme – “the socialism”
• le système – “the system”
• le thème – “the theme”
• le poème – “the poem”
• le schème – “the scheme”
• le diplôme – “the diploma”
• le programme – “the program”
• le dilemme – “the dilemma”
• le symptôme – “the symptom”
• le prisme – “the prism”
• le schisme – “the schism”
• le dogme – “the dogma”
• le paradigme – “the paradigm”
• le métabolisme – “the metabolism”
• le mécanisme – “the mechanism”
• le romantisme – “the romanticism”
• le réalisme – “the realism”
• le magnétisme – “the magnetism”
• le rythme – “the rhythm”

Exceptions exist. Some -me nouns are feminine. These are few but common enough to know.

Feminine -me nouns:

• la femme – “the woman”
• la crème – “the cream”
• la plume – “the feather” or “the pen”
• la brume – “the mist” or “the haze”
• la larme – “the tear” (as in crying)
• la pomme – “the apple”
• la palme – “the palm” (as in palm branch or prize)
• la rame – “the oar” or “the ream” (of paper)
• la gramme – “the gram” (unit of mass; note le kilogramme is masculine)
• la victime – “the victim”
• la prime – “the bonus” or “the reward”
• la estime – “the esteem” (rare without l’estime)
• la lame – “the blade” or “the wave”
• la gomme – “the eraser” or “the gum”
• la somme – “the sum” (mathematics) or “the nap” (sleep)
• la came – “the dope” or “the junk” (slang for drugs)
• la cime – “the peak” or “the summit”
• la lime – “the file” (tool)
• la firme – “the firm” (company)
• la thermie – “the therm” (unit of heat, rare but feminine)

Note that many abstract nouns ending in -me are masculine, especially those from Greek roots. The feminine exceptions tend to be old, short, concrete words. When in doubt, check a dictionary. But for most -me words, masculine is the safe bet.

Summary

French nouns ending in -me are usually masculine. Feminine exceptions are few. Learn the common exceptions by heart. Use the pattern to guess new words.