dal

/dɑːl/

//dɑːl// noun

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

"dal" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dal” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #20,897) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#20,897
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of many dried husked pulses (legume), including peas, beans and lentils.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dal · dal · English

dal · rank #20,897 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,897
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH cypress

Nearest frequency peer: cypress (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “dal”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “dal” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

dal vs do
33% similar
dal vs Dr
0% similar
dal vs de
33% similar

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

Key facts for dal
PropertyValue
Headworddal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɑːl/
Letters3
Frequency rank#20,897
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “dal”

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).dallands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “cypress” (#20,896), “dandy” (#20,898), “dependable” (#20,899). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dal” is #20,897. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for dal is neighbouring look-alikes ("do", "Dr", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /dɑːl/. Frequency #20,897 among 3,470 “D” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

dal doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "do", "Dr", "de", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Hindi दाल (dāl) or Bengali ডাল (ḍal). The correct English form is dal, spelled D-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of many dried husked pulses (legume), including peas, beans and lentils.
  2. 2
    A dish made from lentils, cooked with spices, tomatoes and onions etc.
  3. 3
    A tropical herb with yellow flowers; the pigeon pea.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. A stout Burmese woman, wife of a constable, was kneeling outside the cage ladling rice and watery dahl into tin pannikins.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi दाल (dāl) or Bengali ডাল (ḍal).

Synonyms

legumepulse

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 "dal"?
"dal" is spelled D-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /dɑːl/.
What does "dal" mean?
As a noun, "dal" means: Any of many dried husked pulses (legume), including peas, beans and lentils.
What words are commonly confused with "dal"?
"dal" is commonly confused with "do", "Dr", "de". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dal" is /dɑːl/. 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 "dal"?
Borrowed from Hindi दाल (dāl) or Bengali ডাল (ḍal). 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 "dal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

CSI#20,894Eid#20,910Civ#20,882GMO#20,935

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list