stratagem
/ˈstɹæt.ə.d͡ʒəm/
"stratagem" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“stratagem” is an uncommon English word, ranked #60,492 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #60,492
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A tactic or artifice designed to gain the upper hand, especially one involving underhanded dealings or deception.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | stratagem |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈstɹæt.ə.d͡ʒəm/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #60,492 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “stratagem” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for stratagem is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈstɹæt.ə.d͡ʒəm/. Corpus data places it at rank #60,492 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for stratagem in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stratageme, from Old French stratageme, from Latin strategema, from Ancient Greek στρατήγημα (stratḗgēma, “the act of a general, a piece of generalship”), from στρατηγέω (stratēgéō, “to be a general, command an army”), from στρατηγός (st… The correct English form is stratagem, spelled S-T-R-A-T-A-G-E-M.
Definition
- 1A tactic or artifice designed to gain the upper hand, especially one involving underhanded dealings or deception.
- 2Specifically, such a tactic or artifice in military operation.
- 3Military deception or artifice.
- 4Cunning and artifice in general.
- 5A violent deed.
Etymology
From Middle English stratageme, from Old French stratageme, from Latin strategema, from Ancient Greek στρατήγημα (stratḗgēma, “the act of a general, a piece of generalship”), from στρατηγέω (stratēgéō, “to be a general, command an army”), from στρατηγός (stratēgós, “a general, the leader or commander of an army”). See strategy.
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 “stratagem”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-T-R-A-T-A-G-E-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈstɹæt.ə.d͡ʒəm/ (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.