demeanor

/dɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/

//dɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“demeanor” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,346. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,346
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The social, non-verbal behaviors (such as body language and facial expressions) that are characteristic of a person.

Corpus desk

Index EN-demeanor · demeanor · English

demeanor · rank #22,346 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,346
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Delaney

Nearest frequency peer: Delaney (-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 “demeanor”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “demeanor” 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).

demeanor vs demeanour
89% similar
demeanor vs demean
75% similar

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

Key facts for demeanor
PropertyValue
Headworddemeanor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/
Letters8
Frequency rank#22,346
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “demeanor”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).demeanorlands 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 “Delaney” (#22,345), “Deng” (#22,347), “deforestation” (#22,344). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “demeanor” is #22,346. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around demeanor (IPA /dɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,346 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The social, non-verbal behaviors (such as body language and facial expressions) that are characteristic of a person.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for demeanor, with forms such as "ddemeanor", "deemanor", and "demaenor". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "demeanour", "demean", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English demenure, from the verb Middle English demenen, demeinen (“to handle, manage”), from Old French demener (“to guide, conduct”), from de- + mener (“to conduct, lead”), from Latin *mināre (“to drive”) and minor (“to project or jut forth”). The correct English form is demeanor, spelled D-E-M-E-A-N-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The social, non-verbal behaviors (such as body language and facial expressions) that are characteristic of a person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The man's demeanor made others suspicious of his intentions.
  2. A confident demeanor is crucial for persuading others.

Etymology

From Middle English demenure, from the verb Middle English demenen, demeinen (“to handle, manage”), from Old French demener (“to guide, conduct”), from de- + mener (“to conduct, lead”), from Latin *mināre (“to drive”) and minor (“to project or jut forth”).

Synonyms

behaviorcomportment

This word in other languages

proceder(Español)comportement(Français)Benehmen(Deutsch)comportamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddemeanor
  • deemanor
  • demaenor
  • demeannor
  • demeanorr
  • demeanro
  • demeaonr
  • demenaor
  • demmeanor
  • dmeeanor
  • edmeanor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of demeanor - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddemeanor1deemanor2demaenor2demeannor1demeanorr1demeanro2demeaonr2demenaor2
Edit distance from "demeanor"

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 "demeanor"?
"demeanor" is spelled D-E-M-E-A-N-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/.
What does "demeanor" mean?
As a noun, "demeanor" means: The social, non-verbal behaviors (such as body language and facial expressions) that are characteristic of a person.
What words are commonly confused with "demeanor"?
"demeanor" is commonly confused with "demeanour", "demean". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "demeanor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "demeanor" is /dɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/. 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 "demeanor"?
From Middle English demenure, from the verb Middle English demenen, demeinen (“to handle, manage”), from Old French demener (“to guide, conduct”), from de- + mener (“to conduct, lead”), from Latin *mināre (“to drive”) and minor (“to project or jut... 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 "demeanor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

deranged#22,349downtime#22,358ethereal#22,366climatic#22,324

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

damning11 variantscorrelate11 variantsconsort11 variantsChanning11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list