dairy

/ˈdɛə.ɹi/

//ˈdɛə.ɹi// noun

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

"dairy" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dairy” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,123. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,123
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - (also dairy products or dairy produce) Products produced from milk.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dairy · dairy · English

dairy · rank #6,123 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,123
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH cult

Nearest frequency peer: cult (-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 “dairy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dairy” 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).

dairy vs day
60% similar
dairy vs dry
60% similar
dairy vs DIY
0% similar

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

Key facts for dairy
PropertyValue
Headworddairy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɛə.ɹi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,123
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dairy”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).dairylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “cult” (#6,122), “Dakota” (#6,124), “consisting” (#6,121). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dairy” is #6,123. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around dairy (IPA /ˈdɛə.ɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,123 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for dairy, with forms such as "adiry", "dairry", and "dairyy". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "day", "dry", "DIY", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English deyerie (“dairy, dairy farm”), from Anglo-Norman deyerie (“dairy”), from deye (“dairymaid”) + -erie (“-ery”); by surface analysis, dey (“dairymaid”) + -ry. Cognate with Scots dery, dyrie. The correct English form is dairy, spelled D-A-I-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    (also dairy products or dairy produce) Products produced from milk.
  2. 2
    A place that produces, processes, or sells such products:
  3. 3
    A place that produces, processes, or sells such products:
  4. 4
    A place that produces, processes, or sells such products:
  5. 5
    A corner store, superette or minimart.
  6. 6
    A woman's breast.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. My routine changed in February because I stopped alcohol, caffeine and dairy. Normally, I would have drunk a strong beer before I went to bed and made an espresso in the morning. It’s boring now but healthier.
  2. Go and fetch the butter from the dairy.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English deyerie (“dairy, dairy farm”), from Anglo-Norman deyerie (“dairy”), from deye (“dairymaid”) + -erie (“-ery”); by surface analysis, dey (“dairymaid”) + -ry. Cognate with Scots dery, dyrie.

This word in other languages

granja(Español)laiterie(Français)Molkerei(Deutsch)mercearia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • adiry
  • dairry
  • dairyy
  • daiyr
  • dariy
  • ddairy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dairy - 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.

adiry2dairry1dairyy1daiyr2dariy2ddairy1
Edit distance from "dairy"

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 "dairy"?
"dairy" is spelled D-A-I-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛə.ɹi/.
What does "dairy" mean?
As a noun, "dairy" means: (also dairy products or dairy produce) Products produced from milk.
What words are commonly confused with "dairy"?
"dairy" is commonly confused with "day", "dry", "DIY". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dairy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dairy" is /ˈdɛə.ɹi/. 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 "dairy"?
Inherited from Middle English deyerie (“dairy, dairy farm”), from Anglo-Norman deyerie (“dairy”), from deye (“dairymaid”) + -erie (“-ery”); by surface analysis, dey (“dairymaid”) + -ry. Cognate with Scots dery, dyrie. 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 "dairy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Colin#6,120diary#6,129drill#6,132edges#6,134

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

cult6 variantsflies6 variantsJulie6 variantsmeter6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list