Dennis

/ˈdɛnɪs/

//ˈdɛnɪs// name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"dennis" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Dennis” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,042. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,042
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A male given name from Ancient Greek.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dennis · Dennis · English

Dennis · rank #6,042 · 6 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,042
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH declaration

Nearest frequency peer: declaration (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Dennis”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Dennis” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Dennis vs dens
50% similar
Dennis vs dents
50% similar
Dennis vs Donnie
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Dennis
PropertyValue
HeadwordDennis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈdɛnɪs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,042
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Dennis”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Dennislands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “declaration” (#6,041), “derby” (#6,043), “cycling” (#6,040). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “Dennis” is #6,042. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around Dennis (IPA /ˈdɛnɪs/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #6,042 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Dennis, with forms such as "ddennis", "denins", and "denniss". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "dens", "dents", "Donnie", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English Denis, from Old French saint's name Denis, brought to England by Normans; from Latin Dionysius, a masculine name literally meaning “follower of (the wine god) Dionysus”. The correct English form is Dennis, spelled D-E-N-N-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male given name from Ancient Greek.
  2. 2
    A surname originating as a patronymic.
  3. 3
    A number of places in the United States:
  4. 4
    A number of places in the United States:
  5. 5
    A number of places in the United States:
  6. 6
    A number of places in the United States:
  7. 7
    A number of places in the United States:
  8. 8
    A number of places in the United States:
  9. 9
    A number of places in the United States:
  10. 10
    A number of places in the United States:
  11. 11
    A number of places in the United States:
  12. 12
    A locality in Cypress County, Alberta, Canada.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I will physic your rankness, and yet give no thousand crowns neither. Holla, Dennis!
  2. Each disliked the choice of the other. "Charles is a stern name," she affirmed. "Nonsense," said Philip. "It's as agreeable a name as there is. Dennis sounds like a comical Irish story." "You just show your bad feeling when you say such a thing," she retorted. "'T is a grand name!"

Etymology

From Middle English Denis, from Old French saint's name Denis, brought to England by Normans; from Latin Dionysius, a masculine name literally meaning “follower of (the wine god) Dionysus”.

This word in other languages

Dionisio(Español)Denis(Français)Denis(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddennis
  • denins
  • denniss
  • dennsi
  • dnenis
  • ednnis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Dennis - 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.

ddennis1denins2denniss1dennsi2dnenis2ednnis2
Edit distance from "Dennis"

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 "Dennis"?
"Dennis" is spelled D-E-N-N-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛnɪs/.
What does "Dennis" mean?
As a proper noun, "Dennis" means: A male given name from Ancient Greek.
What words are commonly confused with "Dennis"?
"Dennis" is commonly confused with "dens", "dents", "Donnie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Dennis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Dennis" is /ˈdɛnɪs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Dennis"?
From Middle English Denis, from Old French saint's name Denis, brought to England by Normans; from Latin Dionysius, a masculine name literally meaning “follower of (the wine god) Dionysus”. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 "Dennis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

facial#6,049brutal#6,030hunger#6,058import#6,061

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

cliff6 variantsbooth6 variantsbelly6 variantslung6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list