dewy

Name: dewy, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈdjuː.i/

//ˈdjuː.i// adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“dewy” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,738. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,738
frequency rank, English: 3,470
“D” headwords: 6
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Covered by dew.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dewy · dewy · English

dewy · rank #44,738 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

FREQ-MID #44,738
LEN-MID 4 letters
VOW-2 2 vowels
CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
VAR-MID 6 variants
BOOK-MID 3,470
PHOTO-FINISH dilly

Nearest frequency peer: dilly (+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.

desecrated

55,267
dewy

55,263
dilly

55,262
Dimitrov

55,261
dings

55,260
Dionysus

55,259

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dewy vs dw

50% similar

dewy vs dy

50% similar

dewy vs dry

50% similar

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

Key facts for dewy
Property	Value
Headword	dewy
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ˈdjuː.i/
Letters	4
Frequency rank	#44,738
Misspellings tracked	6
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dewy”

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

#44,738

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “dilly” (#44,739), “Dimitrov” (#44,740), “dings” (#44,741). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dewy” is #44,738. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around dewy (IPA /ˈdjuː.i/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #44,738 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for dewy, with forms such as "ddewy", "dewwy", and "dewyy". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dw", "dy", "dry", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dewy, deuhy, from Old English dēawiġ, from Proto-West Germanic *dauwag, *dauwīg, equivalent to dew + -y. The correct English form is dewy, spelled D-E-W-Y.

Definition

1
Covered by dew.
2
Having the quality of bearing droplets of water.
3
Resembling or characteristic of dew.
4
Fresh and innocent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

His mildly vivid dewy beam Of beryl to diffuse: the gleam With elf-light tiniest figures lit Of shapely moon-fair elves who sit Each on a gemmy blade's curled tip In circle.
The dewy grass was too slick for football.

Etymology

From Middle English dewy, deuhy, from Old English dēawiġ, from Proto-West Germanic *dauwag, *dauwīg, equivalent to dew + -y.

This word in other languages

betaut(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

ddewy
dewwy
dewyy
deyw
dwey
edwy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "dewy"

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 "dewy"?

"dewy" is spelled D-E-W-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdjuː.i/.

What does "dewy" mean?

As an adjective, "dewy" means: Covered by dew.

What words are commonly confused with "dewy"?

"dewy" is commonly confused with "dw", "dy", "dry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "dewy"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dewy" is /ˈdjuː.i/. 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 "dewy"?

From Middle English dewy, deuhy, from Old English dēawiġ, from Proto-West Germanic *dauwag, *dauwīg, equivalent to dew + -y. 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 "dewy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

doze#44,749 crag#44,715 Fido#44,781 choc#44,687

Similar misspelling depth

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

Eamon6 variants glib6 variants blige6 variants bleh6 variants