dine

/daɪn/

//daɪn// verb

"dine" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dine” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,144 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#15,144
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To eat; to eat dinner or supper.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

dine vs due
50% similar
dine vs don
50% similar
dine vs DNA
0% similar

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

Key facts for dine
PropertyValue
Headworddine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/daɪn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#15,144
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dine” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for dine is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /daɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,144 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for dine, with forms such as "ddine", "dien", and "dinne". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "due", "don", "DNA", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dynen, from Old French disner (“to dine, eat the main meal of the day”), from Vulgar Latin *disiūnāre (“to eat breakfast”), from *disieiūnāre (“to break the fast”), from Late Latin, from dis- + iēiūnō (“to fast”), from Latin ieiūnus. The correct English form is dine, spelled D-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To eat; to eat dinner or supper.
  2. 2
    To give a dinner to; to furnish with the chief meal; to feed.
  3. 3
    To dine upon; to have to eat.

Etymology

From Middle English dynen, from Old French disner (“to dine, eat the main meal of the day”), from Vulgar Latin *disiūnāre (“to eat breakfast”), from *disieiūnāre (“to break the fast”), from Late Latin, from dis- + iēiūnō (“to fast”), from Latin ieiūnus.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddine,dien,dinne,dnie,idne

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dine - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddine1dien2dinne1dnie2idne2
Edit distance from "dine"

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 "dine"?
"dine" is spelled D-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /daɪn/.
What does "dine" mean?
As a verb, "dine" means: To eat; to eat dinner or supper.
What words are commonly confused with "dine"?
"dine" is commonly confused with "due", "don", "DNA". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dine" is /daɪn/. 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 "dine"?
From Middle English dynen, from Old French disner (“to dine, eat the main meal of the day”), from Vulgar Latin *disiūnāre (“to eat breakfast”), from *disieiūnāre (“to break the fast”), from Late Latin, from dis- + iēiūnō (“to fast”), from Latin ie... 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.

Using “dine”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /daɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “due” - see the side-by-side comparison. dine vs due
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list