dancer

/ˈdɑːnsə(ɹ)/

//ˈdɑːnsə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“dancer” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,213. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,213
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who dances, usually as a hobby, an occupation, or a profession.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dancer · dancer · English

dancer · rank #7,213 · 9 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,213
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH cylinder

Nearest frequency peer: cylinder (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “dancer”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “dancer” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

dancer vs Dane
50% similar
dancer vs Dante
50% similar
dancer vs diner
67% similar

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

Key facts for dancer
PropertyValue
Headworddancer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɑːnsə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,213
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dancer”

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).dancerlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “cylinder” (#7,212), “deaf” (#7,214), “cracked” (#7,211). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dancer” is #7,213. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around dancer (IPA /ˈdɑːnsə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,213 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for dancer, with forms such as "adncer", "dacner", and "danccer". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "Dane", "Dante", "diner", 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 dauncer, dawncere, dancere, equivalent to dance + -er. The correct English form is dancer, spelled D-A-N-C-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who dances, usually as a hobby, an occupation, or a profession.
  2. 2
    A stripper.
  3. 3
    Synonym of garreter (“a thief who used housetops to enter by garret windows”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I'm a terrible dancer.
  2. [A]bout 40 were burglars, "dancers," "garreters," and other adepts with the skeleton keys.

Etymology

From Middle English dauncer, dawncere, dancere, equivalent to dance + -er.

This word in other languages

bailarín(Español)danseur(Français)Tänzer(Deutsch)bailarino(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • adncer
  • dacner
  • danccer
  • dancerr
  • dancre
  • danecr
  • danncer
  • ddancer
  • dnacer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dancer - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

adncer2dacner2danccer1dancerr1dancre2danecr2danncer1ddancer1
Edit distance from "dancer"

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 "dancer"?
"dancer" is spelled D-A-N-C-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɑːnsə(ɹ)/.
What does "dancer" mean?
As a noun, "dancer" means: A person who dances, usually as a hobby, an occupation, or a profession.
What words are commonly confused with "dancer"?
"dancer" is commonly confused with "Dane", "Dante", "diner". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dancer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dancer" is /ˈdɑːnsə(ɹ)/. 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 "dancer"?
From Middle English dauncer, dawncere, dancere, equivalent to dance + -er. 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 "dancer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

denial#7,216clause#7,205Bernie#7,200fossil#7,228

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

digging9 variantsasylum9 variantsAlfred9 variantsgoddamn9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list