daub
/dɔːb/
"daub" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“daub” is an uncommon English word, ranked #78,511 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #78,511
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Excrement or clay used as a bonding material in construction.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | daub |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɔːb/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #78,511 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “daub” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for daub is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɔːb/. Corpus data places it at rank #78,511 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
daub has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English daub (noun), from Middle English dauben (“to plaster or whitewash; cover with clay; bespatter”, verb), from Old Northern French dauber (“to whitewash; plaster”), of uncertain origin. Probably from Latin dealbāre (“to whiten thoroughly”),… The correct English form is daub, spelled D-A-U-B.
Definition
- 1Excrement or clay used as a bonding material in construction.
- 2A soft coating of mud, plaster, etc.
- 3A crude or amateurish painting.
Etymology
From Middle English daub (noun), from Middle English dauben (“to plaster or whitewash; cover with clay; bespatter”, verb), from Old Northern French dauber (“to whitewash; plaster”), of uncertain origin. Probably from Latin dealbāre (“to whiten thoroughly”), which would make it a doublet of dealbate.
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
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Using “daub”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-A-U-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɔːb/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.