dam break

noun

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

"dam-break" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dam break” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - dam failure

Key facts for dam break
PropertyValue
Headworddam break
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dam break” sits in English frequency

dam break falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dam break is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "dam failure".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for dam break, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dam + break. The correct English form is dam break, spelled D-A-M- -B-R-E-A-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    dam failure

Etymology

From dam + break.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dam break"?
"dam break" is spelled D-A-M- -B-R-E-A-K.
What does "dam break" mean?
As a noun, "dam break" means: dam failure
What is the origin of the word "dam break"?
From dam + break. 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 “dam break”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-A-M- -B-R-E-A-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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