dominant

/ˈdɒmɪnənt/

//ˈdɒmɪnənt// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"dominant" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dominant” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,851 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,851
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

dominant vs dominate
75% similar
dominant vs dominance
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for dominant
PropertyValue
Headworddominant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɒmɪnənt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#4,851
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dominant” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). dominant lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for dominant is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɒmɪnənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,851 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for dominant, with forms such as "ddominant", "dmoinant", and "doimnant". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "dominate", "dominance", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French dominant. The correct English form is dominant, spelled D-O-M-I-N-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on.
  2. 2
    The triad built on the dominant tone.
  3. 3
    Of an allele, that a heterozygote for the allele has the same phenotype as the homozygote.
  4. 4
    A species or organism that is dominant.
  5. 5
    The dominating partner in sadomasochistic sexual activity.

Etymology

From Middle French dominant.

Synonyms

dominator

This word in other languages

dominante(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddominant,dmoinant,doimnant,domiannt,dominannt,dominantt,dominatn,dominnant,dominnat,domminant,domniant,odminant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dominant - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddominant1dmoinant2doimnant2domiannt2dominannt1dominantt1dominatn2dominnant1
Edit distance from "dominant"

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

How do you spell "dominant"?
"dominant" is spelled D-O-M-I-N-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɒmɪnənt/.
What does "dominant" mean?
As a noun, "dominant" means: The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on.
What words are commonly confused with "dominant"?
"dominant" is commonly confused with "dominate", "dominance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dominant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dominant" is /ˈdɒmɪnənt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "dominant"?
From Middle French dominant. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “dominant”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-O-M-I-N-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdɒmɪnənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “dominate” - see the side-by-side comparison. dominant vs dominate
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list