pagan
/ˈpeɪɡən/adjective, noun
pagan is spelled P-A-G-A-N: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.6 times per million words in written English, the 13,695th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Pagan, the name). As an adjective, pagan means “Relating to, characteristic of religions that differ from main world religions” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pagan?
| Letters | 5: P-A-G-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.6 times per million words; the 13,695th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is pagan?
Pagan appears 3.6 times per million words in written English, the 13,695th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Pagan, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pagan?
- /ˈpeɪɡən/
Pagan has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-pagan.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with pagan?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as pagan.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: panga.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of pagan
- pagans plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pagan mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Relating to, characteristic of religions that differ from main world religions.
Under Christianization, many converted societies transformed their pagan deities into saints.
- 2
derogatorySavage, immoral, uncivilized, wild.
noun
- 1
A person not adhering to a main world religion; a follower of a pantheistic or nature-worshipping religion.
This community has a surprising number of pagans.
- 2
derogatoryAn uncivilized or unsocialized person.
- 3
derogatoryAn unruly, badly educated child.
- 4
An outlaw biker who is a member of the Pagans MC.
- 5
Alternative form of paigon
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pagan in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | païen , immoral, incivilisé , païenne |
| German | heidnisch , Heide, Heidin, Ungläubiger, Ungläubige |
| Portuguese | pagão , pagã |
| Spanish | pagano , pagana |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pagan come from?
From Middle English pagan (adjective and noun), from Latin pāgānus (“rural, rustic; civilian”), replaced Middle English payen from the same root. The meaning “not Christian” arose in Vulgar Latin, probably from the 4th century, owing to the Roman countryside being largely non-Christian, or potentially from the “civilian” meaning–denoting those not in the “army of Christ”. As a self-designation of neopagans, attested since 1990. Partly displaced native heathen, from Old English hǣþen.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).