totemism

/ˈtoʊtəmɪzəm/

//ˈtoʊtəmɪzəm// noun

"totemism" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The belief that a person or group has a special mystical relationship to a totem

Corpus desk

Index EN-totemism · totemism · English

totemism · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" 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 totemism
PropertyValue
Headwordtotemism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtoʊtəmɪzəm/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “totemism” in English

totemismsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

totemism is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtoʊtəmɪzəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The belief that a person or group has a special mystical relationship to a totem".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for totemism, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. 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 totem + -ism. The correct English form is totemism, spelled T-O-T-E-M-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The belief that a person or group has a special mystical relationship to a totem

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This is the common story of superstition, from the totemism of savage tribes and the image-worship of semi-civilized peoples on to the heathenism of the Mass.
  2. Although you see some representations of animals or gods in the form of animals, there's really no totemism or animism in Egyptian religion.

Etymology

From totem + -ism.

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 "totemism"?
"totemism" is spelled T-O-T-E-M-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtoʊtəmɪzəm/.
What does "totemism" mean?
As a noun, "totemism" means: The belief that a person or group has a special mystical relationship to a totem
How do you pronounce "totemism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "totemism" is /ˈtoʊtəmɪzəm/. 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 "totemism"?
From totem + -ism. 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