dib

/dɪb/

//dɪb// verb

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

"dib" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dib” is uncommon English (frequency #60,017 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,017
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To dig a hole by poking; especially, to dig a small hole in soil for the purpose of planting a bulb or seed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dib · dib · English

dib · rank #60,017 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,017
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH diamondback

Nearest frequency peer: diamondback (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “dib”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for dib
PropertyValue
Headworddib
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#60,017
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dib” in English

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).dibfalls 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: “diamondback” (#60,016), “diddle” (#60,018), “diadem” (#60,014). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dib” is #60,017. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dib is uncommon English at frequency #60,017 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /dɪb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for dib, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Variation of dip and/or dab. The correct English form is dib, spelled D-I-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    To dig a hole by poking; especially, to dig a small hole in soil for the purpose of planting a bulb or seed.
  2. 2
    To move in a rapid, cautious manner; especially, with movement like a mouse or rat.

Etymology

Variation of dip and/or dab.

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 "dib"?
"dib" is spelled D-I-B. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪb/.
What does "dib" mean?
As a verb, "dib" means: To dig a hole by poking; especially, to dig a small hole in soil for the purpose of planting a bulb or seed.
How do you pronounce "dib"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dib" is /dɪb/. 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 "dib"?
Variation of dip and/or dab. 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 "dib", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

DNI#60,027eep#60,050Esk#60,064fip#60,087

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list