dictionary form

noun

"dictionary-form" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dictionary form” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The basic form of a word used as a dictionary entry (of any part of speech, but especially of a verb).

Corpus desk

Index EN-dictionary-form · dictionary form · English

dictionary form · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for dictionary form
PropertyValue
Headworddictionary form
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dictionary form” in English

dictionary formsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dictionary form is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The basic form of a word used as a dictionary entry (of any part of speech, but especially of a verb).".

Zero misspellings are on record for dictionary form in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is dictionary form, spelled D-I-C-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y- -F-O-R-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The basic form of a word used as a dictionary entry (of any part of speech, but especially of a verb).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The dictionary form of the verb is the infinitive in English, the first-person singular present indicative in Ancient Greek, and the third-person masculine singular perfect in Semitic languages.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dictionary form"?
"dictionary form" is spelled D-I-C-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y- -F-O-R-M.
What does "dictionary form" mean?
As a noun, "dictionary form" means: The basic form of a word used as a dictionary entry (of any part of speech, but especially of a verb).
What language does "dictionary form" come from?
"dictionary form" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list