# dear

> English word · Adjective · IPA /dɪə/ · frequency rank #1,753

## Definitions
1. High in price; expensive.
2. Loved; lovable.
3. Lovely; kind.
4. Loving, affectionate, heartfelt
5. Precious to or greatly valued by someone.
6. A formal way to start (possibly after my) addressing somebody at the beginning of a letter, memo etc.
7. A formal way to start (often after my) addressing somebody one likes or regards kindly.
8. An ironic way to start (often after my) addressing an inferior or someone one dislikes.
9. Noble.

## Etymology
From Middle English dere, from Old English dīere (“of great value or excellence, expensive, beloved”), from Proto-West Germanic *diurī, from Proto-Germanic *diurijaz (“dear, precious, expensive”). Cognate with Scots dere, deir (“of great value or worth, highly valued, precious, beloved”), Saterland Frisian djuur (“precious, dear, costly, expensive”), Dutch duur (“costly, precious”), German teuer (“costly, precious”), German Low German düür, Danish dyr (“expensive”), Swedish dyr (“expensive”), Norwegian dyr (“expensive”), Icelandic dýr (“expensive”), Yiddish טייַער (tayer, “precious, expensive”).

## Easily confused with
- **Dr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dr)
- **DNA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dna)
- **del** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-del)
- **Dec** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dec)
- **Des** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-des)
- **der** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-der)
- **den** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-den)
- **def** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-def)
- **dem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dem)
- **Dee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dee)
- **dev** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dev)
- **dew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dew)
- **DEI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dei)
- **dex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dex)
- **deb** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-deb)
- **dey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dey)
- **deo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-deo)
- **dep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dep)
- **DHA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dha)
- **dor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dear-vs-dor)

## Common misspellings (5)
`daer`, `ddear`, `dearr`, `dera`, `edar`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dear