dharma

/d̪hərm(ɑ)/

//d̪hərm(ɑ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“dharma” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,334. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,334
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The natural order of the universe; natural law, cosmic order.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dharma · dharma · English

dharma · rank #20,334 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,334
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Devin

Nearest frequency peer: Devin (-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 “dharma”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dharma” 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).

dharma vs drama
67% similar
dharma vs Dara
50% similar
dharma vs Dhaka
50% similar

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

Key facts for dharma
PropertyValue
Headworddharma
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/d̪hərm(ɑ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#20,334
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dharma”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).dharmalands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Devin” (#20,333), “dialysis” (#20,335), “departmental” (#20,331). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dharma” is #20,334. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around dharma (IPA /d̪hərm(ɑ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,334 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for dharma, with forms such as "dahrma", "ddharma", and "dhamra". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "drama", "Dara", "Dhaka", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Sanskrit धर्म (dhárma, “that which upholds or supports”). The definitions pertaining to Buddhism are influenced by dhamma, a loan word from Pali. Doublet of dhamma and firm. The correct English form is dharma, spelled D-H-A-R-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The natural order of the universe; natural law, cosmic order.
  2. 2
    One's obligation in respect to one's position in society, or the universe; one's duty, societally or cosmically.
  3. 3
    The teachings of the Buddha as one's personal path to enlightenment.
  4. 4
    The teachings of the Buddha as a practice to be promulgated and taught.
  5. 5
    Rule of conduct.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Jain ethical code prescribes two dharmas or rules of conduct.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit धर्म (dhárma, “that which upholds or supports”). The definitions pertaining to Buddhism are influenced by dhamma, a loan word from Pali. Doublet of dhamma and firm.

This word in other languages

dharma(Français)Dharma(Deutsch)darma(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dahrma
  • ddharma
  • dhamra
  • dharam
  • dharmma
  • dharrma
  • dhharma
  • dhrama
  • hdarma

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

dahrma2ddharma1dhamra2dharam2dharmma1dharrma1dhharma1dhrama2
Edit distance from "dharma"

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 "dharma"?
"dharma" is spelled D-H-A-R-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is /d̪hərm(ɑ)/.
What does "dharma" mean?
As a noun, "dharma" means: The natural order of the universe; natural law, cosmic order.
What words are commonly confused with "dharma"?
"dharma" is commonly confused with "drama", "Dara", "Dhaka". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dharma"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dharma" is /d̪hərm(ɑ)/. 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 "dharma"?
Learned borrowing from Sanskrit धर्म (dhárma, “that which upholds or supports”). The definitions pertaining to Buddhism are influenced by dhamma, a loan word from Pali. Doublet of dhamma and firm. 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 "dharma", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

distal#20,337Dupont#20,342crotch#20,325ensign#20,346

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

flatter9 variantscamped9 variantsgrader9 variantsblazer9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list