dirty
/ˈdɜːti/
"dirty" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dirty” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,727 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #2,727
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime.
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 | dirty |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈdɜːti/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #2,727 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “dirty” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for dirty is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɜːti/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,727 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 18 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for dirty, with forms such as "ddirty", "dirrty", and "dirtty". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dry", "DIY", "dit", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dirti, alteration of earlier dritti, equivalent to dirt + -y. Cognate with Middle Low German drēterich (“dirty”). See also drite. The correct English form is dirty, spelled D-I-R-T-Y.
Definition
- 1Unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime.
- 2That makes one unclean; corrupting, infecting.
- 3Morally unclean; obscene or indecent, especially sexually.
- 4Dishonorable; violating accepted standards or rules.
- 5Corrupt, illegal, or improper.
- 6Out of tune.
- 7Of color, discolored by impurities.
- 8Containing data needing to be written back to memory or disk.
- 9Carrying illegal drugs among one's possessions or inside of one's bloodstream.
- 10Used as an intensifier, especially in conjunction with "great".
- 11Sleety; gusty; stormy.
- 12Of an alcoholic beverage, especially a cocktail or mixed drink: served with the juice of olives.
- 13Of food, indulgent in an unhealthy way.
- 14Of food, covered in an array of indulgent toppings.
- 15Spreading harmful radiation over a wide area.
- 16Having the undercarriage or flaps in the down position.
- 17Of an audio recording: containing unwanted noise.
- 18Producing much ash.
Etymology
From Middle English dirti, alteration of earlier dritti, equivalent to dirt + -y. Cognate with Middle Low German drēterich (“dirty”). See also drite.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddirty,dirrty,dirtty,dirtyy,diryt,ditry,drity,idrty
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dirty - 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.
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
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Using “dirty”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-I-R-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdɜːti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “dry” - see the side-by-side comparison. dirty vs dry
- 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.