dinghy
/ˈdɪŋ(ɡ)i/
"dinghy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dinghy” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #35,685 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #35,685
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 8
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small open boat, propelled by oars or paddles, carried as a tender, lifeboat, or pleasure craft on a ship.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dinghy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈdɪŋ(ɡ)i/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #35,685 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 8 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “dinghy” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for dinghy is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɪŋ(ɡ)i/. Corpus data places it at rank #35,685 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 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for dinghy, with forms such as "ddinghy", "dignhy", and "dingghy". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "dingy", "dingo", "dings", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Bengali ডিঙি (ḍiṅi), perhaps from Sanskrit द्रोण (droṇa, “wooden trough”). The correct English form is dinghy, spelled D-I-N-G-H-Y.
Definition
- 1A small open boat, propelled by oars or paddles, carried as a tender, lifeboat, or pleasure craft on a ship.
- 2A sailing dinghy.
- 3An inflatable rubber life raft.
Etymology
From Bengali ডিঙি (ḍiṅi), perhaps from Sanskrit द्रोण (droṇa, “wooden trough”).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddinghy,dignhy,dingghy,dinghhy,dinghyy,dingyh,dinhgy,dinnghy,dnighy,idnghy
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dinghy - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "dinghy"?
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Using “dinghy”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-I-N-G-H-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdɪŋ(ɡ)i/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “dingy” - see the side-by-side comparison. dinghy vs dingy
- 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.