dog-eared

/ˈdɒɡɪəd/

//ˈdɒɡɪəd// adj

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

"dog-eared" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dog-eared” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of a page in a book or other publication: having its corner folded down, either due to having been read many times, or intentionally as a sort of bookmark.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dog-eared · dog-eared · English

dog-eared · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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.

Key facts for dog-eared
PropertyValue
Headworddog-eared
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdɒɡɪəd/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dog-eared” sits in English frequency

dog-earedfalls 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.

Rare enough to double-check

dog-eared is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈdɒɡɪəd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for dog-eared, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dog + eared (“having ears (of a specified type)”), modelled after dog’s-ear (obsolete), due to the similarity of their appearance to the folded ears of certain dogs. The word is analysable as dog-ear (“to fold the corner of a book’s page”) + -ed (suffi… The correct English form is dog-eared, spelled D-O-G---E-A-R-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a page in a book or other publication: having its corner folded down, either due to having been read many times, or intentionally as a sort of bookmark.
  2. 2
    Ragged, worn-out; also, hackneyed, tired.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how dog-eared appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. By thumbing to the dog-eared pages, she quickly found the items in the catalog she wanted to order.
  2. The pages in his favourite book were dog-eared from years of reading it at bedtime.

Etymology

From dog + eared (“having ears (of a specified type)”), modelled after dog’s-ear (obsolete), due to the similarity of their appearance to the folded ears of certain dogs. The word is analysable as dog-ear (“to fold the corner of a book’s page”) + -ed (suffix forming possessional adjectives) (dog-ear is attested in print later than dog-eared).

This word in other languages

manoseado(Español)corné(Français)zerlesen(Deutsch)

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-eared"?
"dog-eared" is spelled D-O-G---E-A-R-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɒɡɪəd/.
What does "dog-eared" mean?
As an adjective, "dog-eared" means: Of a page in a book or other publication: having its corner folded down, either due to having been read many times, or intentionally as a sort of bookmark.
How do you pronounce "dog-eared"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dog-eared" is /ˈdɒɡɪəd/. 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-eared"?
From dog + eared (“having ears (of a specified type)”), modelled after dog’s-ear (obsolete), due to the similarity of their appearance to the folded ears of certain dogs. The word is analysable as dog-ear (“to fold the corner of a book’s page”) + ... 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.

What to do next

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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