dna
/ˌdiˌɛnˈeɪ/noun
dna is spelled D-N-A: 3 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 31 times per million words in written English, the 3,052nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, dna means “Alternative form of DNA” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dna is dnas.
How many letters and syllables are in dna?
| Letters | 3: D-N-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 31 times per million words; the 3,052nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is dna?
Dna appears 31 times per million words in written English, the 3,052nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce dna?
- UK /ˌdiːɛnˈeɪ/
- US /ˌdiˌɛnˈeɪ/
Dna has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-DNA.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-dna.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with dna?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as dna from its last stressed vowel (/eɪ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: and, dan, nad.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of dna
- dnas plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dna mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Alternative form of DNA.
noun
- 1
Initialism of deoxyribonucleic acid (“a nucleic acid found in all living things (and some non-living things such as certain viruses) which consists of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix; encoded in its structure are genetic instructions for development, functioning, growth, and reproduction”).
- 2
informalThe part of a living thing that carries genetic information.
- 3
The fundamental nature or values of a person, or an organization or other thing, especially when considered as innate or immutable.
verb
- 1
To examine a sample of (someone's) deoxyribonucleic acid.
- 2
USTo place (someone) under a DNA (do not arm) order because of mental illness.
phrase
- 1
Did not answer.
- 2
Did not arrive (used when someone fails to keep an appointment).
- 3
Did not attend.
- 4
Do not assume.
- 5
Does not apply.
- 6
Drugs 'n' alcohol.
- 7
USDo not arm (that is, do not provide with a firearm).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dna in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense initialism of deoxyribonucleic acid (for full forms, see deoxyribonucleic acid):
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.