dolphin
/ˈdɒlf.ɪn/
"dolphin" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dolphin” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,686 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #11,686
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A carnivorous aquatic mammal in one of several families of the infraorder Cetacea, famed for its intelligence and occasional willingness to approach humans.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| 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) |
Where “dolphin” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for dolphin is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, 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 generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for dolphin, with forms such as "ddolphin", "dlophin", and "dolhpin". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Dolph", "Delphi", "dauphin", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
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. … The correct English form is dolphin, spelled D-O-L-P-H-I-N.
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
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dolphin - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “dolphin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-O-L-P-H-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdɒlf.ɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Dolph” - see the side-by-side comparison. dolphin vs Dolph
- 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.