dictum

/ˈdɪk.təm/

//ˈdɪk.təm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“dictum” is uncommon English (frequency #56,066 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,066
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; a maxim, an apothegm.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dictum · dictum · English

dictum · rank #56,066 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,066
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH diastolic

Nearest frequency peer: diastolic (-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 “dictum”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for dictum
PropertyValue
Headworddictum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɪk.təm/
Letters6
Frequency rank#56,066
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dictum” in English

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).dictumfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “diastolic” (#56,065), “dier” (#56,067), “Dima” (#56,068). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dictum” is #56,066. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dictum is uncommon English at frequency #56,066 among 3,470 “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

  1. 1
    An authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; a maxim, an apothegm.
  2. 2
    A judicial opinion expressed by judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the case, and are not involved in it.
  3. 3
    The report of a judgment made by one of the judges who has given it.
  4. 4
    An arbitrament or award.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This should not surprise us who know that van Gogh wrote: 'To paint and to love women is incompatible'; van Gogh was right for himself, which does not mean that he was right for everybody, and I will not draw from his dictum the probably incorrect conclusion that 'To paint and to love literature is incompatible.'
  2. […]a dictum which he had heard an economics professor once propound[…]

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

Diktum(Deutsch)ditado(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 "dictum"?
"dictum" is spelled D-I-C-T-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɪk.təm/.
What does "dictum" mean?
As a noun, "dictum" means: An authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; a maxim, an apothegm.
How do you pronounce "dictum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dictum" is /ˈdɪk.təm/. 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 "dictum"?
From Latin dictum (“proverb, maxim”), from dictus (“having been said”), perfect passive participle of dico (“to say”). Compare Spanish dicho (“saying”). Doublet of dict. 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 "dictum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

distro#56,072duller#56,080egging#56,084Elohim#56,089

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list