dart
/dɑːt/
"dart" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dart” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,505. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #14,505
- frequency rank, English
- 3,470
- “D” headwords
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin.
Corpus desk
Index EN-dart · dart · English
dart · rank #14,505 · 6 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-MID #14,505
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 6 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,470
- PHOTO-FINISH dared
Nearest frequency peer: dared (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “dart”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- cruising
cruising
85,500 corpus weight
- curl
curl
85,499 corpus weight
- dams
dams
85,498 corpus weight
- dared
dared
85,497 corpus weight
- dart
dart
85,496 corpus weight
- denim
denim
85,493 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “dart” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dart |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɑːt/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #14,505 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “dart” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 6 spelling variants around dart (IPA /dɑːt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,505 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for dart, with forms such as "adrt", "darrt", and "dartt". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Dr", "DT", "day", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dart, from Old French dart, dard (“dart”), from Medieval Latin dardus, from Frankish *darōþu (“dart, spear”), from Proto-Germanic *darōþuz (“dart, spear”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰerh₃- (“to leap, spring”). Compare Old High German ta… The correct English form is dart, spelled D-A-R-T.
Definition
- 1A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin.
- 2Any sharp-pointed missile weapon, such as an arrow.
- 3Anything resembling such a missile; something that pierces or wounds like such a weapon.
- 4A small object with a pointed tip at one end and feathers at the other, which is thrown at a target in the game of darts.
- 5A cigarette.
- 6A dart-shaped target towed behind an aircraft to train shooters.
- 7A plan or scheme.
- 8A sudden or fast movement.
- 9A fold that is stitched on a garment.
- 10A dace (fish) (Leuciscus leuciscus).
- 11Any of various species of hesperiid butterfly.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how dart appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.
The artful inquiry, whose venom′d dart / Scarce wounds the hearing while it stabs the heart.
Etymology
From Middle English dart, from Old French dart, dard (“dart”), from Medieval Latin dardus, from Frankish *darōþu (“dart, spear”), from Proto-Germanic *darōþuz (“dart, spear”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰerh₃- (“to leap, spring”). Compare Old High German tart (“javelin, dart”), Old English daroþ, dearod (“javelin, spear, dart”), Swedish dart (“dart, dagger”), Icelandic darraður, darr, dör (“dart, spear”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- adrt
- darrt
- dartt
- datr
- ddart
- drat
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dart - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "dart"?
What does "dart" mean?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "dart", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "dart". Here's where to go from here.
- "dart" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Dr". View pair
- 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #14,505 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.