dolphin
Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.
Letters
7 characters
Language
English
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Detailed reference entry for the English word "dolphin", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "dolphin" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "dolphin" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
dolphin is aEnglishnoun. It means: A carnivorous aquatic mammal in one of several families of the infraorder Cetacea, famed for its intelligence and occasional willingness to approach humans. Pronounced /ˈdɒlf.ɪn/. Often confused with Dolph and Delphi.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dolphin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈdɒlf.ɪn/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #11,686 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency rank visualization
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for dolphin is 7 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɒlf.ɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,686 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 11 documented wrong-spelling variants for dolphin, with forms such as "ddolphin", "dlophin", and "dolhpin". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Dolph", "Delphi", "dauphin", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English delphyn, from Latin delphīnus, from Ancient Greek δελφίς (delphís), from δελφύς (delphús, “womb”); the modern form in -ol- is probably influenced by the pronunciation of Middle French dauphin. Compare Swedish delfin. Doublet of dauphin. … Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is dolphin, spelled D-O-L-P-H-I-N, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1A carnivorous aquatic mammal in one of several families of the infraorder Cetacea, famed for its intelligence and occasional willingness to approach humans.
- 2A carnivorous aquatic mammal in one of several families of the infraorder Cetacea, famed for its intelligence and occasional willingness to approach humans.
- 3A fish, the mahi-mahi or dorado, Coryphaena hippurus, with a dorsal fin that runs the length of the body, also known for iridescent coloration.
- 4A depiction of a fish, with a broad indented fin, usually embowed.
- 5The dauphin, eldest son of the kings of France.
- 6A mass of iron or lead hung from the yardarm, in readiness to be dropped through the deck and the hull of an enemy's vessel to sink it.
- 7A kind of wreath or strap of plaited cordage.
- 8A spar or buoy held by an anchor and furnished with a ring to which ships may fasten their cables.
- 9A mooring post on a wharf or beach.
- 10A permanent fender designed to protect a heavy boat, bridge, or coastal structure from the impact of large floating objects such as ice, floating logs, or vessels.
- 11One of the handles above the trunnions by which a gun was lifted.
- 12A person who buys shares on the primary market only to resell them immediately at a high profit.
Etymology
From Middle English delphyn, from Latin delphīnus, from Ancient Greek δελφίς (delphís), from δελφύς (delphús, “womb”); the modern form in -ol- is probably influenced by the pronunciation of Middle French dauphin. Compare Swedish delfin. Doublet of dauphin. Displaced native Old English mereswīn (literally “sea pig”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddolphin,dlophin,dolhpin,dollphin,dolphhin,dolphinn,dolphni,dolpihn,dolpphin,doplhin,odlphin
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
Relative frequency of common misspelling types for dolphin
Misspelling Variants of "dolphin"
Frequency rank: #11,686 in English
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Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter D in our English index: