dense

/dɛns/

//dɛns// adj

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

"dense" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dense” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,335. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,335
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Having relatively high density.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dense · dense · English

dense · rank #7,335 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,335
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH desperately

Nearest frequency peer: desperately (+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 “dense”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “dense” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dense vs Des
40% similar
dense vs done
60% similar
dense vs desk
60% similar

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

Key facts for dense
PropertyValue
Headworddense
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɛns/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,335
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dense” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around dense (IPA /dɛns/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,335 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for dense, with forms such as "ddense", "denes", and "dennse". 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, "Des", "done", "desk", 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 French dense, from Latin dēnsus, from Proto-Indo-European *dens- (“thick, dense”) (whence also Ancient Greek δασύς (dasús)). The correct English form is dense, spelled D-E-N-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having relatively high density.
  2. 2
    Compact; crowded together.
  3. 3
    Thick; difficult to penetrate.
  4. 4
    Opaque; allowing little light to pass through.
  5. 5
    Obscure or difficult to understand.
  6. 6
    Such that its closure in T is T.
  7. 7
    Slow to comprehend; of low intelligence. (of a person)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The regions of densest population are the tributaries and banks of the Huai above Pang-pu and the diked areas along the right bank of the Yangtze.[…] There are four large towns—Ho-fei, the capital; Huai-nan; Pang-pu; and Wu-hu.
  2. ... mantling the slopes are other still denser forests, where the Pacara (Enterolobium timbavica), Lapacho (Tecoma stans), Quina-Quina (Myroxilon peruanum), urunday (allied to the Lapacho) Quefioa (Rosacea Polylepis racemosa), Cascaron ...

Etymology

From Middle French dense, from Latin dēnsus, from Proto-Indo-European *dens- (“thick, dense”) (whence also Ancient Greek δασύς (dasús)).

Antonyms

diffusefew and far betweenscatteredsparserarefied

This word in other languages

denso(Español)dense(Français)dicht(Deutsch)denso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddense
  • denes
  • dennse
  • densse
  • desne
  • dnese
  • ednse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dense - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddense1denes2dennse1densse1desne2dnese2ednse2
Edit distance from "dense"

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 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dense"?
"dense" is spelled D-E-N-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɛns/.
What does "dense" mean?
As an adjective, "dense" means: Having relatively high density.
What words are commonly confused with "dense"?
"dense" is commonly confused with "Des", "done", "desk". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dense"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dense" is /dɛns/. 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 "dense"?
From Middle French dense, from Latin dēnsus, from Proto-Indo-European *dens- (“thick, dense”) (whence also Ancient Greek δασύς (dasús)). 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 "dense", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Cohen#7,322Bryan#7,315kitty#7,356adapt#7,309

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Moses7 variantsweigh7 variantssteep7 variantsroller7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "dense". Here's where to go from here.

  • "dense" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Des". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #7,335 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list