diadem

/ˈdaɪ.əˌdɛm/

//ˈdaɪ.əˌdɛm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“diadem” is uncommon English (frequency #60,014 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,014
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An ornamental headband worn as a badge of royalty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-diadem · diadem · English

diadem · rank #60,014 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,014
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deuces

Nearest frequency peer: deuces (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “diadem”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “diadem” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for diadem
PropertyValue
Headworddiadem
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdaɪ.əˌdɛm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#60,014
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “diadem” in English

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).diademfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “deuces” (#60,013), “diamondback” (#60,016), “dib” (#60,017). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “diadem” is #60,014. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

diadem is uncommon English at frequency #60,014 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdaɪ.əˌdɛm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for diadem, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English diademe, dyademe, from Old French diademe, from Latin diadēma, from Ancient Greek διάδημα (diádēma, “band, especially worn around a tiara”), from διαδέω (diadéō, “bind around”). The correct English form is diadem, spelled D-I-A-D-E-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    An ornamental headband worn as a badge of royalty.
  2. 2
    A crown.
  3. 3
    Regal power; sovereignty; empire—considered as symbolized by the crown.
  4. 4
    An arch rising from the rim of a crown (rarely also of a coronet), and uniting with others over its centre.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Apollon wing of the Louvre has a set of historic crowns, diadems and sovereign jewellery.
  2. And vvhen the princely Perſean Diadem, / Shall ouervveigh his vvearie vvitleſſe head, / And fall like mellovved fruit, vvith ſhakes of death, / In faire Perſea noble Tamburlain / Shall be my Regent, and remaine as King:

Etymology

From Middle English diademe, dyademe, from Old French diademe, from Latin diadēma, from Ancient Greek διάδημα (diádēma, “band, especially worn around a tiara”), from διαδέω (diadéō, “bind around”).

This word in other languages

diadema(Español)diadème(Français)Diadem(Deutsch)diadema(Português)

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 "diadem"?
"diadem" is spelled D-I-A-D-E-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdaɪ.əˌdɛm/.
What does "diadem" mean?
As a noun, "diadem" means: An ornamental headband worn as a badge of royalty.
How do you pronounce "diadem"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "diadem" is /ˈdaɪ.əˌdɛm/. 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 "diadem"?
From Middle English diademe, dyademe, from Old French diademe, from Latin diadēma, from Ancient Greek διάδημα (diádēma, “band, especially worn around a tiara”), from διαδέω (diadéō, “bind around”). 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 "diadem", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

deuces#60,013diddle#60,018dinero#60,022Darian#60,001

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list