dolly
/ˈdɑli/noun, verb, adjective
dolly is spelled D-O-L-L-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, dolly means “A doll” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dolly is dollies.
How many letters and syllables are in dolly?
| Letters | 5: D-O-L-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 14,106th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 dolly?
Dolly appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th 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 dolly?
- US /ˈdɑli/
- UK /ˈdɒli/
Dolly has 2 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: En-au-dolly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with dolly
Also written: dally.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with dolly?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as dolly from its last stressed vowel (/ɑli/):
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 dolly
- dollies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- dollie
- dollying participle, present
- dollied participle, past
- more dolly comparative
- most dolly superlative
- dally
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dolly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
colloquialA doll.
- 2
A roughly cylindrical wooden object used as a base when molding pie crust.
- 3
A disc with downward legs and a vertical handle, used for agitating laundry.
- 4
A device turned on a vertical axis by a handle or a winch, giving a circular motion to ore being washed.
- 5
A tool with an indented head for shaping the head of a rivet.
- 6
In pile driving, a block interposed between the head of the pile and the ram of the driver.
- 7
A small truck with a single wide roller used for moving heavy beams, columns, etc., in bridge building.
- 8
proscribedSynonym of hand truck (an L-shaped box-moving handcart with handles at one end).
- 9
IndiaAn offering of fruit or flowers.
verb
- 1
To hit a dolly.
- 2
To move (an object) using a dolly.
- 3
To move a camera (usually toward or away from its subject) using a dolly.
- 4
To wash (laundry) in a tub using the stirring device called a dolly.
- 5
To beat (red-hot metal) with a hammer.
- 6
To crush ore with a dolly.
- 7
To make somebody or something look attractive.
adjective
- 1
Pretty; attractive.
- 2
Left-handed (also dolly-handed, dolly-pawed, dolly-posh).
noun
- 1
Ellipsis of Dolly Parton.
- 2
Ellipsis of Dolly Varden trout.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dolly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | zorra, carretilla , diábolo, plataforma rodante, conector de remolques, carreta enganchadora |
| French | diabolo |
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.
Where does dolly come from?
From doll + -y, from the given name Dorothy, originally applied either to a woman or female pet or to a children's toy, and expanded to refer to various types of contrivances or devices. The Online Etymology Dictionary, while considering the reason for applying it to such devices unobvious, compares how the names jack, jenny and jimmy are also applied to devices.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).