demagogue

/ˈdɛməɡɑɡ/

//ˈdɛməɡɑɡ// noun

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

"demagogue" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“demagogue” is uncommon English (frequency #54,117 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,117
frequency rank, English
26,416
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A political orator or leader, especially in a democratic system, who gains favor by pandering to or exciting the passions and prejudices of the audience rather than by using rational argument.

Corpus desk

Index EN-demagogue · demagogue · English

demagogue · rank #54,117 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,117
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 26,416
  • PHOTO-FINISH delude

Nearest frequency peer: delude (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “demagogue”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “demagogue” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for demagogue
PropertyValue
Headworddemagogue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɛməɡɑɡ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#54,117
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “demagogue” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

demagogue is uncommon English at frequency #54,117 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdɛməɡɑɡ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

demagogue doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French démagogue, from Ancient Greek δημαγωγός (dēmagōgós, “popular leader, mob leader”), from δῆμος (dêmos, “people”) + ἀγωγός (agōgós, “guide”). By surface analysis, dem- + -agogue. The correct English form is demagogue, spelled D-E-M-A-G-O-G-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A political orator or leader, especially in a democratic system, who gains favor by pandering to or exciting the passions and prejudices of the audience rather than by using rational argument.
  2. 2
    A leader of the people.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1938, O'Neill, translating The Knights by Aristophanes, 424 BC, lines 191-193, A demagogue must be neither an educated nor an honest man; he has to be an ignoramus and a rogue.
  2. If the majority of our fellow-citizens are more susceptible to the slogans of fear and race hatred than to those of peaceful accommodation and mutual respect among human beings, our political liberties remain at the mercy of any eloquent and unscrupulous demagogue.

Etymology

From Middle French démagogue, from Ancient Greek δημαγωγός (dēmagōgós, “popular leader, mob leader”), from δῆμος (dêmos, “people”) + ἀγωγός (agōgós, “guide”). By surface analysis, dem- + -agogue.

This word in other languages

demagogo(Español)démagogue(Français)Führer(Deutsch)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "demagogue"?
"demagogue" is spelled D-E-M-A-G-O-G-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛməɡɑɡ/.
What does "demagogue" mean?
As a noun, "demagogue" means: A political orator or leader, especially in a democratic system, who gains favor by pandering to or exciting the passions and prejudices of the audience rather than by using rational argument.
How do you pronounce "demagogue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "demagogue" is /ˈdɛməɡɑɡ/. 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 "demagogue"?
From Middle French démagogue, from Ancient Greek δημαγωγός (dēmagōgós, “popular leader, mob leader”), from δῆμος (dêmos, “people”) + ἀγωγός (agōgós, “guide”). By surface analysis, dem- + -agogue. 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 "demagogue", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

crossroad#54,101eavesdrop#54,143Chickasaw#54,079enamoured#54,155
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list