autocrat

/ˈɔːtəkɹæt/

//ˈɔːtəkɹæt// noun

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

"autocrat" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“autocrat” is uncommon English (frequency #54,026 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,026
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An absolute ruler with infinite power.

Corpus desk

Index EN-autocrat · autocrat · English

autocrat · rank #54,026 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,026
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH ayahuasca

Nearest frequency peer: ayahuasca (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “autocrat”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “autocrat” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for autocrat
PropertyValue
Headwordautocrat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɔːtəkɹæt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#54,026
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “autocrat” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).autocratfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “ayahuasca” (#54,027), “augur” (#54,024), “Azeri” (#54,028). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “autocrat” is #54,026. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

autocrat is uncommon English at frequency #54,026 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɔːtəkɹæt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

autocrat has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French autocrate, itself from Ancient Greek αὐτοκρατής (autokratḗs, “sovereign”), from αὐτο- (auto-, “self”) (combining form of αὐτός (autós)) + κράτος (krátos, “strength, power”) + -ης (-ēs). By surface analysis, auto- + -crat. The correct English form is autocrat, spelled A-U-T-O-C-R-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An absolute ruler with infinite power.
  2. 2
    A title borne by some such monarchs, as in Byzantium and tsarist Russia.
  3. 3
    Until the 20th century, a favorable description of a ruler who was connected with the concept of lack of conflicts of interest and an indication of grandeur and power.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Your salary is high; you are to have apartments in the house; and to be the autocrat of the library, where, I shrewdly suspect, your reign will be undisturbed.
  2. Indeed, we take this trip at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. As Russia wages its premeditated, illegal war against Ukraine, killing thousands of innocents — even children — it is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats.

Etymology

Borrowed from French autocrate, itself from Ancient Greek αὐτοκρατής (autokratḗs, “sovereign”), from αὐτο- (auto-, “self”) (combining form of αὐτός (autós)) + κράτος (krátos, “strength, power”) + -ης (-ēs). By surface analysis, auto- + -crat.

This word in other languages

autócrata(Español)autocrate(Français)Autokrat(Deutsch)autocrata(Português)

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 "autocrat"?
"autocrat" is spelled A-U-T-O-C-R-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɔːtəkɹæt/.
What does "autocrat" mean?
As a noun, "autocrat" means: An absolute ruler with infinite power.
How do you pronounce "autocrat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "autocrat" is /ˈɔːtəkɹæt/. 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 "autocrat"?
Borrowed from French autocrate, itself from Ancient Greek αὐτοκρατής (autokratḗs, “sovereign”), from αὐτο- (auto-, “self”) (combining form of αὐτός (autós)) + κράτος (krátos, “strength, power”) + -ης (-ēs). By surface analysis, auto- + -crat. 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 "autocrat", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bakewell#54,031Berryman#54,041bushfire#54,063Agricola#53,988

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list