don't
/dəʊnt/
"don-t" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“don't” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #68. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #68
- frequency rank, English
- 26,416
- “D” headwords
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - do not (negative auxiliary).
Corpus desk
Index EN-don-t · don't · English
don't · rank #68 · 7 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-CORE #68
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 7 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 26,416
- PHOTO-FINISH how
Nearest frequency peer: how (-1 rank slots)
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
Frequency neighbourhood for “don't”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- new
new
99,936 corpus weight
- people
people
99,935 corpus weight
- how
how
99,934 corpus weight
- don't
don't
99,933 corpus weight
- some
some
99,932 corpus weight
- also
also
99,931 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “don't” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
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 | don't |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /dəʊnt/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #68 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “don't” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 7 spelling variants around don't (IPA /dəʊnt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #68 among 26,416 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for don't, with forms such as "ddon't", "dno't", and "do'nt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dot", "done", "dont", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From do + -n't. Depending on dialect, its use in the third-person singular may be from elision (in these dialects "does" is used when not in the negative) or from not using -s to mark the third-person singular at all. The correct English form is don't, spelled D-O-N-'-T.
Definition
- 1do not (negative auxiliary).
- 2does not.
- 3Used before an emphatic negative subject.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how don't appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Don't you think mom's awfully busy today?
Don't be such a nuisance!
Etymology
From do + -n't. Depending on dialect, its use in the third-person singular may be from elision (in these dialects "does" is used when not in the negative) or from not using -s to mark the third-person singular at all.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ddon't
- dno't
- do'nt
- don'tt
- donn't
- dont'
- odn't
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of don't - 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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "don't"?
What does "don't" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "don't"?
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What is the origin of the word "don't"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "don't", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).
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.