dodder
/ˈdɒdə/
"dodder" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dodder” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To shake or tremble as one moves, especially as of old age or childhood; to totter.
Corpus desk
Index EN-dodder · dodder · English
dodder · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "D" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dodder |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈdɒdə/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “dodder” in English
Rare enough to double-check
dodder is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈdɒdə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To shake or tremble as one moves, especially as of old age or childhood; to totter.".
dodder has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English daderen (“to quake, tremble”). Compare Norwegian dudra (“to tremble”). The correct English form is dodder, spelled D-O-D-D-E-R.
Definition
- 1To shake or tremble as one moves, especially as of old age or childhood; to totter.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how dodder appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Yossarian responded to the thought by slipping away stealthily from the police and almost tripped over the feet of a burly woman of forty hastening across the intersection guiltily, darting furtive, vindictive glances behind her toward a woman of eighty with thick, bandaged ankles doddering after her in a losing pursuit.
Their neighbours have been, on one side, an old man who dodders around in his dressing gown talking to himself, and on the other a stand-offish couple who pretend not to understand the Spanish he speaks.
Etymology
From Middle English daderen (“to quake, tremble”). Compare Norwegian dudra (“to tremble”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.