Dialog or dialogue?
dialog is a noun meaning “Uncommon spelling of dialogue”; dialogue is a noun meaning “In a dramatic or literary presentation, the verbal parts of the script or text…”. Wiktionary gives them as spellings of the same word. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) dialogue is about 6.8 times as common as dialog.
What is the difference between dialog and dialogue?
| dialog | dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb | noun, verb |
| Meaning | USUncommon spelling of dialogue Ellipsis of dialog box | A conversation or other form of discourse between two or more individuals In a dramatic or literary presentation, the verbal parts of the script or text; the verbalizations of the actors or characters informalTo discuss or negotiate so that all parties can reach an understanding |
| Example | none recorded | Melinda and Bill maintained a dialogue via email over the course of their long-distance relationship |
| Forms | dialogs | dialogues |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdaɪəlɒɡ/ /ˈdaɪəlɑɡ/ /ˈɖaɪ(ə)lɔɡ/ | /ˈdaɪəlɒɡ/ /ˈdaɪəˌlɔɡ/ /ˈdaɪəˌlɑɡ/ |
| In writing | 2.9 times per million words | 19 times per million words |
Sources: dialog and dialogue in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of dialog and dialogue
dialog
- 1
USUncommon spelling of dialogue
- 2
USUncommon spelling of dialogue
- 3
Ellipsis of dialog box
dialogue
- 1
A conversation or other form of discourse between two or more individuals
Melinda and Bill maintained a dialogue via email over the course of their long-distance relationship
- 2
informalTo discuss or negotiate so that all parties can reach an understanding
Pearson wanted to dialogue with his overseas counterparts about the new reporting requirements
- 3
In a dramatic or literary presentation, the verbal parts of the script or text; the verbalizations of the actors or characters
The movie had great special effects, but the dialogue was lackluster
- 4
To put into dialogue form
- 5
A literary form, where the presentation resembles a conversation
A literary historian, she specialized in the dialogues of ancient Greek philosophers
- 6
The relationship between two texts or artworks interpreted as responding to each other (regardless of whether this is actually possible)
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, dialog or dialogue?
dialog appears 2.9 times per million words; dialogue 19 times per million words.
dialog 2.9 times per million wordsdialogue 19 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search dialog vs dialogue?
“dialog vs dialogue” is searched about 8,100 times a month on Google and 240 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“dialogue vs dialog”, “dialog or dialogue”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.