Dawson
/ˈdɔːsən/
"dawson" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Dawson” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,188 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.
- #10,188
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 9
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A patrilineal surname.
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 | Dawson |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /ˈdɔːsən/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #10,188 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 9 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Dawson” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for Dawson is 6 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɔːsən/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,188 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 24 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Dawson, with forms such as "adwson", "daswon", and "dawosn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "Dyson", "Dayton", "Dobson", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Daw, a Middle English pet form of David + -son. The correct English form is Dawson, spelled D-A-W-S-O-N.
Definition
- 1A patrilineal surname.
- 2A placename
- 3A placename
- 4A placename
- 5A placename
- 6A placename
- 7A placename
- 8A placename
- 9A placename
- 10A placename
- 11A placename
- 12A placename
- 13A placename
- 14A placename
- 15A placename
- 16A placename
- 17A placename
- 18A placename
- 19A placename
- 20A placename
- 21A placename
- 22A placename
- 23A placename
- 24A placename
Etymology
From Daw, a Middle English pet form of David + -son.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: adwson,daswon,dawosn,dawsno,dawsonn,dawsson,dawwson,ddawson,dwason
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Dawson - 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “Dawson”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-A-W-S-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdɔːsən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Dyson” - see the side-by-side comparison. Dawson vs Dyson
- 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.