demean

/dɪˈmiːn/

//dɪˈmiːn// verb

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

"demean" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“demean” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,179. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,179
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To debase; to lower; to degrade.

Corpus desk

Index EN-demean · demean · English

demean · rank #48,179 · 8 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,179
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dempster

Nearest frequency peer: Dempster (+2 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 “demean”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “demean” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

demean vs demon
67% similar
demean vs demeanor
75% similar
demean vs dean
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for demean
PropertyValue
Headworddemean
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈmiːn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#48,179
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “demean”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).demeanlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Dempster” (#48,181), “decryption” (#48,176), “DePaul” (#48,182). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “demean” is #48,179. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around demean (IPA /dɪˈmiːn/), averb. Corpus frequency is #48,179 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for demean, with forms such as "ddemean", "deeman", and "demaen". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "demon", "demeanor", "dean", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: (1595) From de- + mean (“lowly, base, common”), from Middle English mene, aphetic variation of imene (“mean, base, common”), from Old English ġemǣne (“mean, common”). Compare English bemean. The correct English form is demean, spelled D-E-M-E-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To debase; to lower; to degrade.
  2. 2
    To humble; to humiliate.
  3. 3
    To mortify.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. It was, of course, Mrs. Sedley's opinion that her son would demean himself by a marriage with an artist's daughter.

Etymology

(1595) From de- + mean (“lowly, base, common”), from Middle English mene, aphetic variation of imene (“mean, base, common”), from Old English ġemǣne (“mean, common”). Compare English bemean.

Synonyms

abasebring down to sizecut down to sizedebasedefamedegradedemeandemotedepressdiscreditdisgracedishonourdisparagedowngradeembasegive a bad namehumblehumiliateknock down to sizeput someone in their placereducerelegatesinkslurtrim down to sizewhittle down to size

Antonyms

aggrandizeglorify

This word in other languages

menospreciar(Español)herabwürdigen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddemean
  • deeman
  • demaen
  • demeann
  • demena
  • demmean
  • dmeean
  • edmean

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of demean - 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.

ddemean1deeman2demaen2demeann1demena2demmean1dmeean2edmean2
Edit distance from "demean"

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 "demean"?
"demean" is spelled D-E-M-E-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈmiːn/.
What does "demean" mean?
As a verb, "demean" means: To debase; to lower; to degrade.
What words are commonly confused with "demean"?
"demean" is commonly confused with "demon", "demeanor", "dean". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "demean"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "demean" is /dɪˈmiːn/. 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 "demean"?
(1595) From de- + mean (“lowly, base, common”), from Middle English mene, aphetic variation of imene (“mean, base, common”), from Old English ġemǣne (“mean, common”). Compare English bemean. 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 "demean", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

DePaul#48,182darted#48,174Dionne#48,188crummy#48,165

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Daniele8 variantscorky8 variantsdurian8 variantscomming8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list