doldrum
/ˈdɒldɹəm/
"doldrum" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“doldrum” 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) - A slothful or stupid person.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | doldrum |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈdɒldɹəm/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “doldrum” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for doldrum is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɒldɹəm/. 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: "A slothful or stupid person.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for doldrum, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. 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: The noun is possibly derived from dull or Middle English dold (past participle of dullen, dollen (“to make or become blunt or dull; to make or become dull-witted or stupid; to make or become inactive”), from dul, dol, dolle (“not sharp, blunt, dull; not qui… The correct English form is doldrum, spelled D-O-L-D-R-U-M.
Definition
- 1A slothful or stupid person.
Etymology
The noun is possibly derived from dull or Middle English dold (past participle of dullen, dollen (“to make or become blunt or dull; to make or become dull-witted or stupid; to make or become inactive”), from dul, dol, dolle (“not sharp, blunt, dull; not quick-witted, stupid; lethargic, sluggish”); see further at dull), modelled after tantrum. The adjective is probably derived from the noun.
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
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Using “doldrum”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-O-L-D-R-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdɒldɹəm/ (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.