stratagem

/ˈstɹæt.ə.d͡ʒəm/

//ˈstɹæt.ə.d͡ʒəm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“stratagem” is uncommon English (frequency #60,492 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,492
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tactic or artifice designed to gain the upper hand, especially one involving underhanded dealings or deception.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stratagem · stratagem · English

stratagem · rank #60,492 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,492
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stile

Nearest frequency peer: stile (-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 “stratagem”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for stratagem
PropertyValue
Headwordstratagem
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɹæt.ə.d͡ʒəm/
Letters9
Frequency rank#60,492
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “stratagem” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).stratagemfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “stile” (#60,491), “striated” (#60,493), “stigmata” (#60,490). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stratagem” is #60,492. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

stratagem is uncommon English at frequency #60,492 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈstɹæt.ə.d͡ʒəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

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

  1. 1
    A tactic or artifice designed to gain the upper hand, especially one involving underhanded dealings or deception.
  2. 2
    Specifically, such a tactic or artifice in military operation.
  3. 3
    Military deception or artifice.
  4. 4
    Cunning and artifice in general.
  5. 5
    A violent deed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonyms: ploy, ruse
  2. Tis pollicie and ſtratageme muſt doo / That you affect, and ſo muſt you reſolue, / That vvhat you cannot as you vvould atchiue, / You muſt perforce accompliſh as you may: […]

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

estratagema(Español)stratagème(Français)Kriegslist(Deutsch)maquinação(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 "stratagem"?
"stratagem" is spelled S-T-R-A-T-A-G-E-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɹæt.ə.d͡ʒəm/.
What does "stratagem" mean?
As a noun, "stratagem" means: A tactic or artifice designed to gain the upper hand, especially one involving underhanded dealings or deception.
How do you pronounce "stratagem"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stratagem" is /ˈstɹæt.ə.d͡ʒəm/. 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 "stratagem"?
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 στρ... 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 "stratagem", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sugarcoat#60,499swiftness#60,503softcover#60,480shortcake#60,468

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list