English Word Reference Free

die

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

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

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By PlainSpell Editorial Team · Reviewed against Wiktionary & Hunspell sources · May 6, 2026

Letters

3 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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die is aEnglishverb. It means: To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death. Pronounced /daɪ/. It ranks #902 in English word frequency. Often confused with do and Dr.

Key facts for die
Property	Value
Headword	die
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/daɪ/
Letters	3
Frequency rank	#902
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of die in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

#902

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for die is 3 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /daɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #902 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language.Wiktionary records 24 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No frequent misspelling variants are recorded for die in our index, suggesting the orthography either follows predictable English patterns or the word is uncommon enough that typo corpora lack signal.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "do", "Dr", "DJ", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English deyen, probably from Old Norse deyja, from Proto-Germanic *dawjaną (“to die”). Displaced native Old English sweltan, whence Modern English swelt, and Old English steorfan, whence modern starve. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is die, spelled D-I-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

1
To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death.
2
To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death.
3
To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death.
4
To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death.
5
To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death.
6
To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death.
7
To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death.
8
To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death.
9
To (stop living and) undergo (a specified death).
10
To lose or be eliminated from a game, particularly with a deathlike animation.
11
To yearn intensely.
12
To be or become hated or utterly ignored or cut off, as if dead.
13
To become spiritually dead; to lose hope.
14
To be mortified or shocked by a situation.
15
To be so overcome with emotion or laughter as to be incapacitated.
16
To stop working; to break down or otherwise lose "vitality".
17
To abort, to terminate (as an error condition).
18
To expire at the end of the session of a legislature without having been brought to a vote.
19
To perish; to cease to exist; to become lost or extinct.
20
To sink; to faint; to pine; to languish, with weakness, discouragement, love, etc.
21
To become indifferent; to cease to be subject.
22
To disappear gradually in another surface, as where mouldings are lost in a sloped or curved face.
23
To become vapid, flat, or spiritless, as liquor.
24
To fail to evoke laughter from the audience.

Etymology

From Middle English deyen, probably from Old Norse deyja, from Proto-Germanic *dawjaną (“to die”). Displaced native Old English sweltan, whence Modern English swelt, and Old English steorfan, whence modern starve.

Synonyms

assume room temperature bite the dust bite the big one buy the farm check out code cross over cross the river decompose dematerialize expire succumb give up the ghost pass pass away pass on be no more meet one's maker be a stiff push up the daisies hop off the twig kick the bucket shuffle off this mortal coil join the choir invisible auger in be called home be gathered to one's fathers be like the the One be with Jesus be with the Lord bite the biscuit buy it cark it cash in cash in one's chips close one's eyes for the last time conk out croak cross rainbow bridge cross the Great Divide cross the Styx darken decease depart disincarnate draw one's last breath drop off the hooks exit flatline forfare give one's all go for a burton go gentle into that good night go out go over to the majority go the way of all flesh go the way of the dinosaurs go the way of the dodo go the way of the dodo bird go to glory go to one's reward go west hand in one's checks hand in one's dinner pail hop the twig keel over kick off knock off liquidate lose my life for Jesus Christ lose the number of one's mess meet one's doom meet one's end pass in one's checks pass in one's marble pass over pass the river pay nature's debt pay the debt of nature peg out perish pop off pop one's clogs sink sleep with one's fathers slip away snuff it take a dirt nap turn up one's toes yield up the ghost

Antonyms

breathe live subsist survive be born germinate sprout come back to life reincarnate rise from the dead

This word in other languages

Spanish(Español)Portuguese(Português)French(Français)German(Deutsch)

Frequency rank: #902 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "die"?

"die" is spelled D-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is /daɪ/.

What does "die" mean?

As a verb, "die" means: To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death.

What words are commonly confused with "die"?

"die" is commonly confused with "do", "Dr", "DJ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "die"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "die" is /daɪ/. 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 "die"?

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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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter D in our English index:

All "D" words A B C D E F G H I J K L

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.