dainty

/ˈdeɪnti/

//ˈdeɪnti// adj

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

"dainty" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dainty” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,388. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,388
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Elegant; delicately small and pretty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dainty · dainty · English

dainty · rank #26,388 · 9 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,388
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH damnit

Nearest frequency peer: damnit (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “dainty”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “dainty” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

dainty vs dint
67% similar
dainty vs dirty
67% similar
dainty vs Danny
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for dainty
PropertyValue
Headworddainty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdeɪnti/
Letters6
Frequency rank#26,388
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dainty”

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).daintylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “damnit” (#26,389), “cystic” (#26,386), “Darlington” (#26,390). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dainty” is #26,388. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around dainty (IPA /ˈdeɪnti/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #26,388 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for dainty, with forms such as "adinty", "dainnty", and "daintty". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "dint", "dirty", "Danny", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English deynte (as noun), from Old French deintié, from Latin dignitātem. Doublet of dignity. The correct English form is dainty, spelled D-A-I-N-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Elegant; delicately small and pretty.
  2. 2
    Fastidious and fussy, especially when eating.
  3. 3
    Excellent; valuable, fine.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As for thoſe People of the Eaſt, (Goa, Calecute, Malaca,) they vvere a Fine, and Dainty People; Frugall, and yet Elegant, though not Militar.
  2. Those dainty limbs which nature lent / For gentle usage and soft delicacy.

Etymology

From Middle English deynte (as noun), from Old French deintié, from Latin dignitātem. Doublet of dignity.

Synonyms

neatpetite

This word in other languages

delicado(Español)délicat(Français)fein(Deutsch)delicado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • adinty
  • dainnty
  • daintty
  • daintyy
  • dainyt
  • daitny
  • danity
  • ddainty
  • dianty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dainty - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

adinty2dainnty1daintty1daintyy1dainyt2daitny2danity2ddainty1
Edit distance from "dainty"

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 "dainty"?
"dainty" is spelled D-A-I-N-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdeɪnti/.
What does "dainty" mean?
As an adjective, "dainty" means: Elegant; delicately small and pretty.
What words are commonly confused with "dainty"?
"dainty" is commonly confused with "dint", "dirty", "Danny". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dainty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dainty" is /ˈdeɪnti/. 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 "dainty"?
From Middle English deynte (as noun), from Old French deintié, from Latin dignitātem. Doublet of dignity. 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 "dainty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

damnit#26,389cystic#26,386creole#26,382cloves#26,373

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

carlin9 variantsCAPCOM9 variantsfeisty9 variantsBohemia9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list