damp

Name: damp, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/dæmp/

//dæmp// adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“damp” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,570. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,570
frequency rank, English: 3,470
“D” headwords: 6
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist.

Corpus desk

Index EN-damp · damp · English

damp · rank #12,570 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

FREQ-MID #12,570
LEN-MID 4 letters
VOW-1 1 vowel
CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
VAR-MID 6 variants
BOOK-MID 3,470
PHOTO-FINISH Danielle

Nearest frequency peer: Danielle (+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.

computation…

87,435
conceptual

87,434
damp

87,431
Danielle

87,430
debit

87,428
demolition

87,427

What this shows Bars show where “damp” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

damp vs DM

0% similar

damp vs DP

0% similar

damp vs day

50% similar

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

Key facts for damp
Property	Value
Headword	damp
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/dæmp/
Letters	4
Frequency rank	#12,570
Misspellings tracked	6
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “damp” 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). damp lands here:

#12,570

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around damp (IPA /dæmp/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #12,570 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for damp, with forms such as "admp", "dammp", and "dampp". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "DM", "DP", "day", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dampen (“to stifle; suffocate”). Akin to Low German damp, Dutch damp, and German Dampf (“vapor, steam, fog”), Icelandic dampi, Swedish damm (“dust”), and to German dampf imperative of dimpfen (“to smoke”). Also Middle English dampen (“to… The correct English form is damp, spelled D-A-M-P.

Definition

1
In a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist.
2
Despondent; dispirited, downcast.
3
Permitting the possession of alcoholic beverages, but not their sale.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

25 January 2017, Leena Camadoo writing in The Guardian, Dominican banana producers at sharp end of climate change Once the farms have been drained and the dead plants have been cut down and cleared, farmers then have to be alert for signs of black sigatoka, a devastating fungus which flourishes in damp conditions and can destroy banana farms.
She said no more. The trembling Trojans hear, O'erspread with a damp sweat and holy fear.

Etymology

From Middle English dampen (“to stifle; suffocate”). Akin to Low German damp, Dutch damp, and German Dampf (“vapor, steam, fog”), Icelandic dampi, Swedish damm (“dust”), and to German dampf imperative of dimpfen (“to smoke”). Also Middle English dampen (“to extinguish, choke, suffocate”). Ultimately all descend from Proto-Germanic *dampaz.

Synonyms

moistthoanthone wet glum melancholy sorrowful sad

This word in other languages

humide(Français)feucht(Deutsch)húmido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

admp
dammp
dampp
dapm
ddamp
dmap

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of damp - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "damp"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "damp"?

"damp" is spelled D-A-M-P. The IPA pronunciation is /dæmp/.

What does "damp" mean?

As an adjective, "damp" means: In a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist.

What words are commonly confused with "damp"?

"damp" is commonly confused with "DM", "DP", "day". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "damp"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "damp" is /dæmp/. 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 "damp"?

From Middle English dampen (“to stifle; suffocate”). Akin to Low German damp, Dutch damp, and German Dampf (“vapor, steam, fog”), Icelandic dampi, Swedish damm (“dust”), and to German dampf imperative of dimpfen (“to smoke”). Also Middle English d... 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 "damp", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

feud#12,598 fuse#12,605 fuss#12,606 gale#12,607

Similar misspelling depth

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

Denis6 variants Ebola6 variants womb6 variants hath6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "damp". Here's where to go from here.

"damp" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "DM". View pair
6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
Usage frequency rank #12,570 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
Browse more English words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse
PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.