dexterous

/ˈdɛkstɹəs/

//ˈdɛkstɹəs// adj

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

"dexterous" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dexterous” is uncommon English (frequency #68,146 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,146
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Skillful with one's hands.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dexterous · dexterous · English

dexterous · rank #68,146 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,146
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH digitize

Nearest frequency peer: digitize (+3 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.

Long-tail ranks near “dexterous”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “dexterous” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for dexterous
PropertyValue
Headworddexterous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdɛkstɹəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#68,146
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dexterous” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “digitize” (#68,149), “declassification” (#68,142), “digoxin” (#68,150). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dexterous” is #68,146. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dexterous is uncommon English at frequency #68,146 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈdɛkstɹəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for dexterous, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin dexter (“right, ready”) + -ous. Displaced native Old English handcræftiġ. The correct English form is dexterous, spelled D-E-X-T-E-R-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Skillful with one's hands.
  2. 2
    Skillful in some specific thing.
  3. 3
    Agile; flexible; able to move fluidly and gracefully.
  4. 4
    Skilled at argumentation; mentally skillful; quick-witted.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She is pleasingly dexterous with the chopsticks, and keeps one hand lying palm up on her lap. Pinched with just the right pressure between the sticks; funny how plump women have that delicate touch.
  2. We went frequently out with this boat a-fishing; and as I was most dexterous to catch fish for him, he never went without me.

Etymology

From Latin dexter (“right, ready”) + -ous. Displaced native Old English handcræftiġ.

This word in other languages

diestro(Español)adroit(Français)behänd(Deutsch)hábil(Português)

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 "dexterous"?
"dexterous" is spelled D-E-X-T-E-R-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛkstɹəs/.
What does "dexterous" mean?
As an adjective, "dexterous" means: Skillful with one's hands.
How do you pronounce "dexterous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dexterous" is /ˈdɛkstɹəs/. 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 "dexterous"?
From Latin dexter (“right, ready”) + -ous. Displaced native Old English handcræftiġ. 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 "dexterous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cytosolic#68,138consignor#68,116Collinson#68,108changelog#68,087

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list