dirigisme

/ˈdɪɹɪʒɪz(ə)m/

//ˈdɪɹɪʒɪz(ə)m// noun

"dirigisme" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dirigisme” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A policy of strong state control over the economy and related social matters.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dirigisme · dirigisme · English

dirigisme · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for dirigisme
PropertyValue
Headworddirigisme
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɪɹɪʒɪz(ə)m/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dirigisme” in English

dirigismefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dirigisme is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdɪɹɪʒɪz(ə)m/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A policy of strong state control over the economy and related social matters.".

Zero misspellings are on record for dirigisme in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French dirigisme, from diriger (“to run, to direct”), from Latin dirigere (“direct, steer”). The correct English form is dirigisme, spelled D-I-R-I-G-I-S-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A policy of strong state control over the economy and related social matters.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. These agents, for the same distributional and paternalistic reasons that motivated many of the socialist experiments in economic dirigisme, may seek to use political authority to modify, at least in part, the results of the market system.
  2. In the name of development, the reformed states adopted the dirigisme of colonial administration – forced labour re-emerged in them as well.

Etymology

Borrowed from French dirigisme, from diriger (“to run, to direct”), from Latin dirigere (“direct, steer”).

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dirigisme"?
"dirigisme" is spelled D-I-R-I-G-I-S-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɪɹɪʒɪz(ə)m/.
What does "dirigisme" mean?
As a noun, "dirigisme" means: A policy of strong state control over the economy and related social matters.
How do you pronounce "dirigisme"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dirigisme" is /ˈdɪɹɪʒɪz(ə)m/. 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 "dirigisme"?
Borrowed from French dirigisme, from diriger (“to run, to direct”), from Latin dirigere (“direct, steer”). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list