demure

/dɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/

//dɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)// adj

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

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

The verdict

“demure” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,286. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,286
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Modest, quiet, reserved, or serious.

Corpus desk

Index EN-demure · demure · English

demure · rank #49,286 · 8 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #49,286
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH delineate

Nearest frequency peer: delineate (-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 “demure”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “demure” 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).

demure vs deuce
67% similar
demure vs desire
67% similar
demure vs deluxe
67% similar

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

Key facts for demure
PropertyValue
Headworddemure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#49,286
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “demure”

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).demurelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “delineate” (#49,285), “debutant” (#49,283), “debriefing” (#49,282). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “demure” is #49,286. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around demure (IPA /dɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #49,286 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for demure, with forms such as "ddemure", "demmure", and "demrue". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "deuce", "desire", "deluxe", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English demure, demwre, an abbreviation of Anglo-Norman de mure port (“with a mature demeanor”) (compare Old French meur from Latin mātūrus): *si il seyt coy e de mure port (Amur curteiz) (“he sits quietly and with a mature appearance”… The correct English form is demure, spelled D-E-M-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Modest, quiet, reserved, or serious.
  2. 2
    Affectedly modest, decorous, or serious; making a show of gravity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She is a demure young lady.
  2. Nan was very much delighted in her demure way, and that delight showed itself in her face and in her clear bright eyes.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English demure, demwre, an abbreviation of Anglo-Norman de mure port (“with a mature demeanor”) (compare Old French meur from Latin mātūrus): *si il seyt coy e de mure port (Amur curteiz) (“he sits quietly and with a mature appearance”) * Documents illustrating the history of Scotland, CLV, 1306, Orders for the custody of Scottish prisoners, CLV: …et que eles soient de bon et meur port (“…with a good and mature demeanor”) * mss. Arundel, 220: ke cely qe vus amerez soyt de gentil manere, coy, de meure porture (“with a mature demeanor”) * (Monastic rule): de aunciene dame de meure porture ke pusse les plus ieuenes rieueler e endoctriner (“an old lady with a mature demeanor able to rule and educate the young girls”).

This word in other languages

modesto(Español)réservé(Français)zurückhaltend(Deutsch)modesto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddemure
  • demmure
  • demrue
  • demuer
  • demurre
  • deumre
  • dmeure
  • edmure

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddemure1demmure1demrue2demuer2demurre1deumre2dmeure2edmure2
Edit distance from "demure"

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 "demure"?
"demure" is spelled D-E-M-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/.
What does "demure" mean?
As an adjective, "demure" means: Modest, quiet, reserved, or serious.
What words are commonly confused with "demure"?
"demure" is commonly confused with "deuce", "desire", "deluxe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "demure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "demure" is /dɪˈmjʊə(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 "demure"?
Inherited from Middle English demure, demwre, an abbreviation of Anglo-Norman de mure port (“with a mature demeanor”) (compare Old French meur from Latin mātūrus): *si il seyt coy e de mure port (Amur curteiz) (“he sits quietly and with a mature a... 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 "demure", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Darrin#49,281Dornan#49,300Cowper#49,267cinque#49,253

Similar misspelling depth

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

chewie8 variantsfissile8 variantsBRICS8 variantsboozer8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list