ding dong

/dɪŋ(ɡ)ˈdɒŋ(ɡ)/

//dɪŋ(ɡ)ˈdɒŋ(ɡ)// intj

"ding-dong" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ding dong” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an interjection. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The sound made by a bell; especially, that made by a doorbell.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ding-dong · ding dong · English

ding dong · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 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 ding dong
PropertyValue
Headwordding dong
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/dɪŋ(ɡ)ˈdɒŋ(ɡ)/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ding dong” in English

ding dongsits 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

ding dong is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aninterjection, transcribed /dɪŋ(ɡ)ˈdɒŋ(ɡ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for ding dong in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: See ding-dong The correct English form is ding dong, spelled D-I-N-G- -D-O-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The sound made by a bell; especially, that made by a doorbell.
  2. 2
    A general exclamation of surprise or approval.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ding dong bell, pussy's in the well! / Who put her in? Little Johnny Thin. / Who pulled her out? Little Tommy Stout.
  2. — Here's a photo of my new girlfriend. — Ding dong!

Etymology

See ding-dong

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 "ding dong"?
"ding dong" is spelled D-I-N-G- -D-O-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪŋ(ɡ)ˈdɒŋ(ɡ)/.
What does "ding dong" mean?
As an interjection, "ding dong" means: The sound made by a bell; especially, that made by a doorbell.
How do you pronounce "ding dong"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ding dong" is /dɪŋ(ɡ)ˈdɒŋ(ɡ)/. 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 "ding dong"?
See ding-dong 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list