demon

/ˈdiː.mən/

//ˈdiː.mən// noun

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

"demon" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“demon” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,458. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,458
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An evil supernatural being.

Corpus desk

Index EN-demon · demon · English

demon · rank #6,458 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,458
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH demo

Nearest frequency peer: demo (-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 “demon”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “demon” 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).

demon vs don
60% similar
demon vs den
60% similar
demon vs deo
60% similar

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

Key facts for demon
PropertyValue
Headworddemon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdiː.mən/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,458
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “demon”

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).demonlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “demo” (#6,457), “demonstration” (#6,459), “deficit” (#6,456). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “demon” is #6,458. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around demon (IPA /ˈdiː.mən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,458 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for demon, with forms such as "ddemon", "demmon", and "demno". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "don", "den", "deo", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English demon, a borrowing from Medieval Latin dēmōn, daemōn (“lar, familiar spirit, guardian spirit”), from Ancient Greek δαίμων (daímōn, “dispenser, god, protective spirit”). Doublet of daimon. The correct English form is demon, spelled D-E-M-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An evil supernatural being.
  2. 2
    An evil supernatural being.
  3. 3
    An evil supernatural being.
  4. 4
    An evil supernatural being.
  5. 5
    An evil supernatural being.
  6. 6
    A neutral supernatural being.
  7. 7
    A neutral supernatural being.
  8. 8
    A neutral supernatural being.
  9. 9
    A neutral supernatural being.
  10. 10
    Someone with great strength, passion or skill for a particular activity, pursuit etc.; an enthusiast.
  11. 11
    A type of patience or solitaire (card game) played in the UK and/or US.
  12. 12
    Any of various hesperiid butterflies of the genera Notocrypta and Udaspes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. So what does the Gospel of Judas really say? It says that Judas is a specific demon called the "Thirteenth." In certain Gnostic traditions, this is the given name of the king of demons - an entity known as Ialdabaoth who lives in the 13th realm above the earth. Judas is his human alter ego, his undercover agent in the world. These Gnostics equated Ialdaba…
  2. The demon of stupidity haunts me whenever I open my mouth.

Etymology

From Middle English demon, a borrowing from Medieval Latin dēmōn, daemōn (“lar, familiar spirit, guardian spirit”), from Ancient Greek δαίμων (daímōn, “dispenser, god, protective spirit”). Doublet of daimon.

Synonyms

geniustutelary deitygod and Thesaurus:spiritbarghestbogiebogeymanboggardboglecacodemondaevadevilevil geniusfiendflibbertigibbetghoulgoblinimpkoboldnisspooktroll

This word in other languages

demonio(Español)démon(Français)Dämon(Deutsch)demônio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddemon
  • demmon
  • demno
  • demonn
  • deomn
  • dmeon
  • edmon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of demon - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddemon1demmon1demno2demonn1deomn2dmeon2edmon2
Edit distance from "demon"

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 "demon"?
"demon" is spelled D-E-M-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdiː.mən/.
What does "demon" mean?
As a noun, "demon" means: An evil supernatural being.
What words are commonly confused with "demon"?
"demon" is commonly confused with "don", "den", "deo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "demon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "demon" is /ˈdiː.mən/. 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 "demon"?
From Middle English demon, a borrowing from Medieval Latin dēmōn, daemōn (“lar, familiar spirit, guardian spirit”), from Ancient Greek δαίμων (daímōn, “dispenser, god, protective spirit”). Doublet of daimon. 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 "demon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

elder#6,465Chile#6,448cheer#6,447cheat#6,446

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

guided7 variantsGuinea7 variantsballot7 variantsheels7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list