dandelion

/ˈdæn.dəˌlaɪ.ən/

//ˈdæn.dəˌlaɪ.ən// noun

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

"dandelion" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dandelion” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,757. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,757
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of the several species of plant in the genus Taraxacum, characterised by yellow flower heads and notched, broad-ended leaves, especially the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).

Corpus desk

Index EN-dandelion · dandelion · English

dandelion · rank #32,757 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,757
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH daisies

Nearest frequency peer: daisies (-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 “dandelion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dandelion” 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
Key facts for dandelion
PropertyValue
Headworddandelion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdæn.dəˌlaɪ.ən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#32,757
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dandelion”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).dandelionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “daisies” (#32,756), “DDT” (#32,758), “cutout” (#32,755). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dandelion” is #32,757. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around dandelion (IPA /ˈdæn.dəˌlaɪ.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,757 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for dandelion, with forms such as "adndelion", "dadnelion", and "danddelion". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dentdelyon, from Old French dent de lion (“lion's tooth”), also in Latin dēns leōnis, referring to the jagged shape of the plant's leaves. The term is now rare in French (together with liondent, calque from Germanic), but compare Spanish… The correct English form is dandelion, spelled D-A-N-D-E-L-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the several species of plant in the genus Taraxacum, characterised by yellow flower heads and notched, broad-ended leaves, especially the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).
  2. 2
    The flower head or fruiting head of the dandelion plant.
  3. 3
    A yellow colour, like that of the flower.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the sanguine hue of the poppy and the hibiscus, the gold of the daisy and dandelion, the dark green of the sorrage on either side, and the blue and purple of the blossoming mulberry and sycamore
  2. There are asexual variants among all sorts of creatures, including jellyfish, dandelions, lichens and lizards.

Etymology

From Middle English dentdelyon, from Old French dent de lion (“lion's tooth”), also in Latin dēns leōnis, referring to the jagged shape of the plant's leaves. The term is now rare in French (together with liondent, calque from Germanic), but compare Spanish diente de león, Portuguese dente-de-leão, Italian dente di leone, German Löwenzahn, Norwegian Bokmål løvetann, Welsh dant y llew, all descendants, calques, or loan translations of the Latin term.

This word in other languages

diente de león(Español)pissenlit(Français)Löwenzahn(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • adndelion
  • dadnelion
  • danddelion
  • dandeilon
  • dandelino
  • dandelionn
  • dandellion
  • dandeloin
  • dandleion
  • danedlion
  • danndelion
  • ddandelion
  • dnadelion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

adndelion2dadnelion2danddelion1dandeilon2dandelino2dandelionn1dandellion1dandeloin2
Edit distance from "dandelion"

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 "dandelion"?
"dandelion" is spelled D-A-N-D-E-L-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdæn.dəˌlaɪ.ən/.
What does "dandelion" mean?
As a noun, "dandelion" means: Any of the several species of plant in the genus Taraxacum, characterised by yellow flower heads and notched, broad-ended leaves, especially the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).
What are common misspellings of "dandelion"?
Common misspellings include "adndelion", "dadnelion", "danddelion", "dandeilon", "dandelino". The correct spelling is "dandelion".
How do you pronounce "dandelion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dandelion" is /ˈdæn.dəˌlaɪ.ən/. 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 "dandelion"?
From Middle English dentdelyon, from Old French dent de lion (“lion's tooth”), also in Latin dēns leōnis, referring to the jagged shape of the plant's leaves. The term is now rare in French (together with liondent, calque from Germanic), but compa... 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 "dandelion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

devouring#32,771concourse#32,741disengage#32,775eagerness#32,786

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

cramping13 variantsdestruct13 variantsepicenter13 variantsBudweiser13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list