authoritarian

/ɔːˌθɒɹ.ɪˈtɛə̯.ɹɪən/

//ɔːˌθɒɹ.ɪˈtɛə̯.ɹɪən// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"authoritarian" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“authoritarian” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,095. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,095
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
18
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of, or relating to, or exhibiting strict obedience to an authority; favoring authoritarianism over civic and individual liberties.

Corpus desk

Index EN-authoritarian · authoritarian · English

authoritarian · rank #13,095 · 18 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,095
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-7 7 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Augusta

Nearest frequency peer: Augusta (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “authoritarian”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “authoritarian” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for authoritarian
PropertyValue
Headwordauthoritarian
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɔːˌθɒɹ.ɪˈtɛə̯.ɹɪən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#13,095
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “authoritarian”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).authoritarianlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Augusta” (#13,094), “avail” (#13,096), “attacker” (#13,093). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “authoritarian” is #13,095. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around authoritarian (IPA /ɔːˌθɒɹ.ɪˈtɛə̯.ɹɪən/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #13,095 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for authoritarian, with forms such as "atuhoritarian", "auhtoritarian", and "authhoritarian". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From authority + -arian, circa 1880. The correct English form is authoritarian, spelled A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-A-R-I-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of, or relating to, or exhibiting strict obedience to an authority; favoring authoritarianism over civic and individual liberties.
  2. 2
    Demanding obedience to authority; marked by authoritarianism; dictatorial, tyrannical.
  3. 3
    Tending to impose one's demands upon others as if one were an authority.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how authoritarian appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. the authoritarian personality
  2. The authoritarian government was demanding stricter laws for low-wage peasants.

Etymology

From authority + -arian, circa 1880.

Synonyms

bossybossyarrogantcommandinghaughtyimperious

Antonyms

democraticliberalservilehumblemodest

This word in other languages

autoritario(Español)autoritaire(Français)autoritär(Deutsch)autoritário(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atuhoritarian
  • auhtoritarian
  • authhoritarian
  • authoirtarian
  • authoriatrian
  • authoritairan
  • authoritarain
  • authoritariann
  • authoritarina
  • authoritarrian
  • authoritraian
  • authorittarian
  • authorritarian
  • authortiarian
  • authroitarian
  • autohritarian
  • autthoritarian
  • uathoritarian

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of authoritarian - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

atuhoritarian2auhtoritarian2authhoritarian1authoirtarian2authoriatrian2authoritairan2authoritarain2authoritariann1
Edit distance from "authoritarian"

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "authoritarian"?
"authoritarian" is spelled A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-A-R-I-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɔːˌθɒɹ.ɪˈtɛə̯.ɹɪən/.
What does "authoritarian" mean?
As an adjective, "authoritarian" means: Of, or relating to, or exhibiting strict obedience to an authority; favoring authoritarianism over civic and individual liberties.
What are common misspellings of "authoritarian"?
Common misspellings include "atuhoritarian", "auhtoritarian", "authhoritarian", "authoirtarian", "authoriatrian". The correct spelling is "authoritarian".
How do you pronounce "authoritarian"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "authoritarian" is /ɔːˌθɒɹ.ɪˈtɛə̯.ɹɪən/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "authoritarian"?
From authority + -arian, circa 1880. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "authoritarian", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

compatibility#13,120interestingly#12,998granddaughter#12,984proliferation#12,838

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

testosterone18 variantscongratulate18 variantscoordinating18 variantsproportional18 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list