dame

/deɪm/

//deɪm// noun

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

"dame" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dame” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,551 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,551
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Usually capitalized as Dame: a title equivalent to Sir for a female knight.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dame vs de
50% similar
dame vs DM
0% similar
dame vs day
50% similar

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

Key facts for dame
PropertyValue
Headworddame
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/deɪm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#7,551
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dame” 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). dame 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 dame is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /deɪm/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,551 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for dame, with forms such as "adme", "daem", and "damme". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "de", "DM", "day", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dame, dam (“noble lady”), from Old French dame (“lady; term of address for a woman; the queen in card games and chess”), from Latin domina (“mistress of the house”), feminine form of dominus (“lord, master, ruler; owner of a residence”),… The correct English form is dame, spelled D-A-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Usually capitalized as Dame: a title equivalent to Sir for a female knight.
  2. 2
    A matron at a school, especially Eton College.
  3. 3
    In traditional pantomime: a melodramatic female often played by a man in drag.
  4. 4
    A woman.
  5. 5
    A lady, a woman.
  6. 6
    The hereditary feudal ruler (seigneur) of Sark, when the title is held by a woman in her own right.
  7. 7
    A queen.

Etymology

From Middle English dame, dam (“noble lady”), from Old French dame (“lady; term of address for a woman; the queen in card games and chess”), from Latin domina (“mistress of the house”), feminine form of dominus (“lord, master, ruler; owner of a residence”), or from Latin domus (“home, house”). Doublet of domina and donna.

Synonyms

woman

This word in other languages

dama(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: adme,daem,damme,ddame,dmae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

adme2daem2damme1ddame1dmae2
Edit distance from "dame"

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 "dame"?
"dame" is spelled D-A-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /deɪm/.
What does "dame" mean?
As a noun, "dame" means: Usually capitalized as Dame: a title equivalent to Sir for a female knight.
What words are commonly confused with "dame"?
"dame" is commonly confused with "de", "DM", "day". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dame"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dame" is /deɪm/. 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 "dame"?
From Middle English dame, dam (“noble lady”), from Old French dame (“lady; term of address for a woman; the queen in card games and chess”), from Latin domina (“mistress of the house”), feminine form of dominus (“lord, master, ruler; owner of a re... 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 “dame”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-A-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /deɪm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “de” - see the side-by-side comparison. dame vs de
  • 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