dappled

[ˈdæpəɫd]

/[ˈdæpəɫd]/ adj

"dappled" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dappled” is uncommon English (frequency #59,998 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,998
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having a mottled or spotted skin or coat, dapple.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dappled · dappled · English

dappled · rank #59,998 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,998
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dardanelles

Nearest frequency peer: Dardanelles (+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 “dappled”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for dappled
PropertyValue
Headworddappled
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈdæpəɫd]
Letters7
Frequency rank#59,998
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dappled” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).dappledfalls 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: “Dardanelles” (#59,999), “Cyprian” (#59,995), “Darian” (#60,001). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dappled” is #59,998. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dappled is uncommon English at frequency #59,998 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ˈdæpəɫd]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Having a mottled or spotted skin or coat, dapple.".

dappled doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. 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.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is dappled, spelled D-A-P-P-L-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a mottled or spotted skin or coat, dapple.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It was a close, sultry day: devoid of sunshine, but with a sky too dappled and hazy to threaten rain
  2. Glory be to God for dappled things— / For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow; / For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim: […]

This word in other languages

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 "dappled"?
"dappled" is spelled D-A-P-P-L-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈdæpəɫd].
What does "dappled" mean?
As an adjective, "dappled" means: Having a mottled or spotted skin or coat, dapple.
How do you pronounce "dappled"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dappled" is [ˈdæpəɫd]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "dappled" come from?
"dappled" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "dappled", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list