# dingy

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈdɪn.d͡ʒi/ · frequency rank #36,105

## Definitions
1. Dark, dull.
2. Shabby, squalid, uncared-for.

## Etymology
From English dialectal (Kentish) dingy (“dirty”), of unknown origin, though probably from Middle English *dingy, dungy, from Old English *dyncgiġ (“covered with dung, dirty”), an umlaut form of duncge, dung (“dung”), equivalent to dung + -y, hence a doublet of dungy.

## Easily confused with
- **DIY** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-diy)
- **dong** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-dong)
- **dino** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-dino)
- **dung** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-dung)
- **dint** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-dint)
- **DINK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-dink)
- **doing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-doing)
- **dying** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-dying)
- **dirty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-dirty)
- **dizzy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-dizzy)
- **doggy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-doggy)
- **dodgy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-dodgy)
- **Donny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-donny)
- **Dinka** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-dinka)
- **dinky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-dinky)
- **ditty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-ditty)
- **Disney** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dingy-vs-disney)
- **dig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dig-vs-dingy)
- **DIN** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/din-vs-dingy)
- **deny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deny-vs-dingy)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ddingy`, `digny`, `dinggy`, `dingyy`, `dinngy`, `dinyg`, `dnigy`, `idngy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dingy