demotic
/dɪˈmɑ.tɪk/adjective, noun
demotic is spelled D-E-M-O-T-I-C: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 92,628th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, demotic means “Of or for the common people” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in demotic?
| Letters | 7: D-E-M-O-T-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words; the 92,628th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is demotic?
Demotic appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 92,628th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce demotic?
- UK /dɪˈmɒt.ɪk/
- US /dɪˈmɑ.tɪk/
Demotic has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-demotic.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with demotic?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as demotic from its last stressed vowel (/ɑtɪk/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of demotic
- demotics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does demotic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or for the common people.
demotic writing style
- 2
Of, relating to, or written in the ancient Egyptian script that developed from Lower Egyptian hieratic writing starting from around 650 BCE and was chiefly used to write the Demotic phase of the Egyptian language, with simplified and cursive characters that no longer corresponded directly to their hieroglyphic precursors.
- 3
Of, relating to, or written in the form of modern vernacular Greek.
demotic Greek
noun
- 1
Language as spoken or written by the common people.
Near-synonym: vernacular
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Demotic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | démotique |
| German | demotisch , Umgangssprache |
| Spanish | demótico |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does demotic come from?
First attested in 1822, from Ancient Greek δημοτικός (dēmotikós, “common”), from δημότης (dēmótēs, “commoner”), from δῆμος (dêmos, “the common people”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).