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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

demagogue

/ˈdɛməˌɡɑɡ/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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Start with a strong “dem.”

Both written g letters have hard g sounds here, and the final ue does not add another syllable.

3 syllables · Stress on syllable 1

TRY SAYING
The essay examines the rise of a demagogue.

APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

What does demagogue mean?

verb

  1. To speak or act in the manner of a demagogue; to speak about (an issue) in the manner of a demagogue.
More meanings (2)

noun

  1. (derogatory) A political orator or leader, especially in a democratic system, who gains favor by pandering to or exciting the passions and prejudices of the audience rather than by using rational argument.
  2. (historical) A leader of the people.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈdɛməˌɡɑɡ/

Pronunciation used in the listening tip.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Other dictionary pronunciations

/ˈdɛməɡɑɡ//ˈdɛməɡɔɡ/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

And the trick by which the demagogue defeats Coriolanus is played on him in his turn by his inferiors.
Bernard ShawTreatise on Parents and ChildrenProject Gutenberg ebook #908
He stooped to none of the arts of the demagogue; he was never carried away by a blind spirit of faction.
John Clark Ridpath; G. Mercer (Graeme Mercer) Adam; Charles K. (Charles Keyser) EdmundsJames Otis, the Pre-RevolutionistProject Gutenberg ebook #722
More book examples (3)
Too often their only place of meeting is a saloon, their only host a bartender; a local demagogue forms their public opinion.
Jane AddamsTwenty Years at Hull House; with Autobiographical NotesProject Gutenberg ebook #1325
He forthwith adopts one of the candidates thus selected as the only available one, thus proving that he is himself available for any purposes of the demagogue.
Henry David ThoreauOn the Duty of Civil DisobedienceProject Gutenberg ebook #71
I was aware that my host had been a great leveller and an ardent demagogue forty years ago, and that his name was not unknown to fame.
Alexis de TocquevilleDemocracy in America — Volume 1Translated by Henry ReeveProject Gutenberg ebook #815