energumen

/ɛn.əˈɡjuː.mən/

//ɛn.əˈɡjuː.mən// noun

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

The verdict

“energumen” 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 May 6, 2026) - A person possessed by an evil ghost, spirit, or entity.

Key facts for energumen
PropertyValue
Headwordenergumen
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɛn.əˈɡjuː.mən/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “energumen” sits in English frequency

energumen falls 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

energumen is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɛn.əˈɡjuː.mən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

energumen has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin energumenus, from Ancient Greek ἐνεργούμενος (energoúmenos), from verb ἐνεργέω (energéō, “to influence”). The correct English form is energumen, spelled E-N-E-R-G-U-M-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person possessed by an evil ghost, spirit, or entity.
  2. 2
    A frantic and hysterical person.

Etymology

From Latin energumenus, from Ancient Greek ἐνεργούμενος (energoúmenos), from verb ἐνεργέω (energéō, “to influence”).

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 "energumen"?
"energumen" is spelled E-N-E-R-G-U-M-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɛn.əˈɡjuː.mən/.
What does "energumen" mean?
As a noun, "energumen" means: A person possessed by an evil ghost, spirit, or entity.
How do you pronounce "energumen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "energumen" is /ɛn.əˈɡjuː.mən/. 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 "energumen"?
From Latin energumenus, from Ancient Greek ἐνεργούμενος (energoúmenos), from verb ἐνεργέω (energéō, “to influence”). 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.

Using “energumen”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is E-N-E-R-G-U-M-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɛn.əˈɡjuː.mən/ (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
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list