dog-ear

/ˈdɒɡɪə/

//ˈdɒɡɪə// noun

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

The verdict

“dog-ear” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The folded corner of the page of a book or other publication, either due to having been read many times or intentionally as a sort of bookmark.

Key facts for dog-ear
PropertyValue
Headworddog-ear
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɒɡɪə/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dog-ear” sits in English frequency

dog-ear falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for dog-ear is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɒɡɪə/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "The folded corner of the page of a book or other publication, either due to having been read many times or intentionally as a sort of bookmark.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for dog-ear, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is a variant of dog's-ear, from dog + -’s + ear, due to the similarity of their appearance to the folded ears of certain dogs. The verb is either: * directly from dog + ear; * a back-formation from dog-eared; or * a variant of dog's-ear (verb). The correct English form is dog-ear, spelled D-O-G---E-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The folded corner of the page of a book or other publication, either due to having been read many times or intentionally as a sort of bookmark.

Etymology

The noun is a variant of dog's-ear, from dog + -’s + ear, due to the similarity of their appearance to the folded ears of certain dogs. The verb is either: * directly from dog + ear; * a back-formation from dog-eared; or * a variant of dog's-ear (verb).

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dog-ear"?
"dog-ear" is spelled D-O-G---E-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɒɡɪə/.
What does "dog-ear" mean?
As a noun, "dog-ear" means: The folded corner of the page of a book or other publication, either due to having been read many times or intentionally as a sort of bookmark.
How do you pronounce "dog-ear"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dog-ear" is /ˈdɒɡɪə/. 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 "dog-ear"?
The noun is a variant of dog's-ear, from dog + -’s + ear, due to the similarity of their appearance to the folded ears of certain dogs. The verb is either: * directly from dog + ear; * a back-formation from dog-eared; or * a variant of dog's-ear (... 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 “dog-ear”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-O-G---E-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdɒɡɪə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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