dinner

/ˈdɪnə/

//ˈdɪnə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"dinner" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dinner” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,716 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,716
frequency rank, English
6
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The main meal of the day, often eaten in the evening.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dinner vs diver
67% similar
dinner vs Dunne
50% similar
dinner vs Donne
50% similar

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

Key facts for dinner
PropertyValue
Headworddinner
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɪnə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,716
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dinner” 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). dinner 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 dinner is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɪnə/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,716 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for dinner, with forms such as "ddinner", "dinenr", and "dinnerr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "diver", "Dunne", "Donne", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dyner, from Old French disner (“lunch”, but originally “breakfast”), (modern French dîner), from Vulgar Latin *disiūnō, *disiūnāre from Latin dis- + iēiūnō (“to break the fast”). The correct English form is dinner, spelled D-I-N-N-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The main meal of the day, often eaten in the evening.
  2. 2
    An evening meal.
  3. 3
    A midday meal (in a context in which the evening meal is called supper or tea).
  4. 4
    A meal given to an animal.
  5. 5
    A formal meal for many people eaten for a special occasion.
  6. 6
    The food provided or consumed at any such meal.

Etymology

From Middle English dyner, from Old French disner (“lunch”, but originally “breakfast”), (modern French dîner), from Vulgar Latin *disiūnō, *disiūnāre from Latin dis- + iēiūnō (“to break the fast”).

Synonyms

supperteachowlunchluncheonbanquetfeastluncheon

This word in other languages

cena(Español)dîner(Français)Abendessen(Deutsch)jantar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddinner,dinenr,dinnerr,dinnre,dniner,idnner

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dinner - 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.

ddinner1dinenr2dinnerr1dinnre2dniner2idnner2
Edit distance from "dinner"

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 "dinner"?
"dinner" is spelled D-I-N-N-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɪnə/.
What does "dinner" mean?
As a noun, "dinner" means: The main meal of the day, often eaten in the evening.
What words are commonly confused with "dinner"?
"dinner" is commonly confused with "diver", "Dunne", "Donne". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dinner"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dinner" is /ˈdɪnə/. 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 "dinner"?
From Middle English dyner, from Old French disner (“lunch”, but originally “breakfast”), (modern French dîner), from Vulgar Latin *disiūnō, *disiūnāre from Latin dis- + iēiūnō (“to break the fast”). 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 “dinner”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-I-N-N-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdɪnə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “diver” - see the side-by-side comparison. dinner vs diver
  • 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