dictum
/ˈdɪk.təm/
"dictum" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dictum” is uncommon English (frequency #56,066 among 26,416 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #56,066
- frequency rank, English
- 26,416
- “D” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; a maxim, an apothegm.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dictum |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈdɪk.təm/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #56,066 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “dictum” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
dictum is uncommon English at frequency #56,066 among 26,416 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdɪk.təm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for dictum, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin dictum (“proverb, maxim”), from dictus (“having been said”), perfect passive participle of dico (“to say”). Compare Spanish dicho (“saying”). Doublet of dict. The correct English form is dictum, spelled D-I-C-T-U-M.
Definition
- 1An authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; a maxim, an apothegm.
- 2A judicial opinion expressed by judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the case, and are not involved in it.
- 3The report of a judgment made by one of the judges who has given it.
- 4An arbitrament or award.
Etymology
From Latin dictum (“proverb, maxim”), from dictus (“having been said”), perfect passive participle of dico (“to say”). Compare Spanish dicho (“saying”). Doublet of dict.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “dictum”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-I-C-T-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdɪk.təm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.