dangerous

/ˈdeɪn.ʒ(ə.)ɹəs/

//ˈdeɪn.ʒ(ə.)ɹəs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“dangerous” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,690. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,690
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Full of danger.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dangerous · dangerous · English

dangerous · rank #1,690 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,690
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH correct

Nearest frequency peer: correct (-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 “dangerous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dangerous” 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).

dangerous vs dangers
78% similar
dangerous vs dangerously
82% similar

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

Key facts for dangerous
PropertyValue
Headworddangerous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdeɪn.ʒ(ə.)ɹəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#1,690
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dangerous”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “correct” (#1,689), “ed” (#1,691), “continues” (#1,688). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dangerous” is #1,690. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around dangerous (IPA /ˈdeɪn.ʒ(ə.)ɹəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,690 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 dangerous, with forms such as "adngerous", "dagnerous", and "danegrous". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "dangers", "dangerously", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dangerous (“difficult, severe, domineering, arrogant, fraught with danger”), daungerous, from Anglo-Norman [Term?], from Old French dangereus (“threatening, difficult”), from dangier. Equivalent to danger + -ous. Displaced native Old Eng… The correct English form is dangerous, spelled D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Full of danger.
  2. 2
    Causing danger; ready to do harm or injury.
  3. 3
    In a condition of danger, as from illness; threatened with death.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Railway crossings without gates are highly dangerous.
  2. [I]t is not fair of you to bring against mankind double weapons! Dangerous enough you are as woman alone, without bringing to your aid those gifts of mind suited to problems which men have been accustomed to arrogate to themselves.

Etymology

From Middle English dangerous (“difficult, severe, domineering, arrogant, fraught with danger”), daungerous, from Anglo-Norman [Term?], from Old French dangereus (“threatening, difficult”), from dangier. Equivalent to danger + -ous. Displaced native Old English frēcne.

Synonyms

dangerousdangersomehazardousjeopardouswickedparlouspericulousperilousprecariousriskyunsafe

Antonyms

safesecureunhazardous

This word in other languages

peligroso(Español)dangereux(Français)gefährlich(Deutsch)perigoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • adngerous
  • dagnerous
  • danegrous
  • dangeorus
  • dangerosu
  • dangerouss
  • dangerrous
  • dangeruos
  • danggerous
  • dangreous
  • danngerous
  • ddangerous
  • dnagerous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

adngerous2dagnerous2danegrous2dangeorus2dangerosu2dangerouss1dangerrous1dangeruos2
Edit distance from "dangerous"

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 "dangerous"?
"dangerous" is spelled D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdeɪn.ʒ(ə.)ɹəs/.
What does "dangerous" mean?
As an adjective, "dangerous" means: Full of danger.
What words are commonly confused with "dangerous"?
"dangerous" is commonly confused with "dangers", "dangerously". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dangerous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dangerous" is /ˈdeɪn.ʒ(ə.)ɹəs/. 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 "dangerous"?
From Middle English dangerous (“difficult, severe, domineering, arrogant, fraught with danger”), daungerous, from Anglo-Norman [Term?], from Old French dangereus (“threatening, difficult”), from dangier. Equivalent to danger + -ous. Displaced nati... 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 "dangerous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

continues#1,688extremely#1,692advantage#1,710obviously#1,668

Similar misspelling depth

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

institute13 variantsfunction13 variantsmaterials13 variantsprojects13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list