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” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,123 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,123
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (also dairy products or dairy produce) Products produced from milk.

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)

Where “dairy” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for dairy is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɛə.ɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,123 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “dairy”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-A-I-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdɛə.ɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “day” - see the side-by-side comparison. dairy vs day
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list