dolmen
/ˈdəʊ̯l.mən/
"dolmen" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dolmen” 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
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A prehistoric megalithic tomb consisting of a capstone supported by two or more upright stones, most having originally been covered with earth or smaller stones to form a barrow.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dolmen |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈdəʊ̯l.mən/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “dolmen” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for dolmen is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdəʊ̯l.mən/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for dolmen, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French dolmen. Perhaps incorrectly fabricated from Breton taol maen (taol (“table”) + maen (“stone”)) (the correct compound would be *taolvaen, not **daolmaen). See also menhir. The correct English form is dolmen, spelled D-O-L-M-E-N.
Definition
- 1A prehistoric megalithic tomb consisting of a capstone supported by two or more upright stones, most having originally been covered with earth or smaller stones to form a barrow.
- 2Any megalithic tomb, including passage graves and wedge tombs.
Etymology
Borrowed from French dolmen. Perhaps incorrectly fabricated from Breton taol maen (taol (“table”) + maen (“stone”)) (the correct compound would be *taolvaen, not **daolmaen). See also menhir.
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
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Using “dolmen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-O-L-M-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdəʊ̯l.mən/ (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.