# dandruff

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈdændɹʌf/ · frequency rank #44,149

## Definitions
1. scaly white dead skin flakes from the human scalp; Pityriasis capitis

## Etymology
The word is first attested in 1545; the first element is obscure, but compare Yorkshire dialect, dander (skin scurf). The second element derives from a Northumbrian or East Anglian term huff or hruff, hurf (“scab”), from Old Norse hrufa. Compare Dutch roof, Luxembourgish Roff. Related with Proto-Germanic *hreubaz, *hreufaz (“rough, scabby”), source of Old English hrēofla (“leprosy, leper”). More at reef (etymology 3).

## Common misspellings (11)
`adndruff`, `dadnruff`, `danddruff`, `dandrfuf`, `dandrruff`, `dandruf`, `dandurff`, `danndruff`, `danrduff`, `ddandruff`, `dnadruff`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dandruff