damson

/ˈdæmzən/

//ˈdæmzən// noun

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

"damson" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“damson” is uncommon English (frequency #93,595 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#93,595
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A subspecies of plum tree, Prunus domestica subsp. insititia, native to Eurasia.

Corpus desk

Index EN-damson · damson · English

damson · rank #93,595 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #93,595
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dangit

Nearest frequency peer: dangit (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “damson”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “damson” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for damson
PropertyValue
Headworddamson
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdæmzən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#93,595
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “damson” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).damsonfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “dangit” (#93,596), “Cymbeline” (#93,593), “dangly” (#93,597). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “damson” is #93,595. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

damson is uncommon English at frequency #93,595 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdæmzən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for damson in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English damascene, damasyn, damacene, from Latin prūnum damascēnum (“Damascene plum, plum of Damascus”). Doublet of damascene. The correct English form is damson, spelled D-A-M-S-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A subspecies of plum tree, Prunus domestica subsp. insititia, native to Eurasia.
  2. 2
    The edible fruit of this tree.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And if you come hether, / When Damſines I gether, / I will part them all you among.
  2. But Richmond […] appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. Some pickled crab, which he had not touched, had been removed with a damson pie; and his sister saw[…]that he had eaten no more than a spoonful of that either.

Etymology

From Middle English damascene, damasyn, damacene, from Latin prūnum damascēnum (“Damascene plum, plum of Damascus”). Doublet of damascene.

This word in other languages

prunier de Damas(Français)Krieche(Deutsch)abrunho(Português)

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 "damson"?
"damson" is spelled D-A-M-S-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdæmzən/.
What does "damson" mean?
As a noun, "damson" means: A subspecies of plum tree, Prunus domestica subsp. insititia, native to Eurasia.
How do you pronounce "damson"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "damson" is /ˈdæmzən/. 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 "damson"?
From Middle English damascene, damasyn, damacene, from Latin prūnum damascēnum (“Damascene plum, plum of Damascus”). Doublet of damascene. 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 "damson", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dangit#93,596dangly#93,597Cotten#93,577Ciampa#93,547

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list