done

/dʌn/

//dʌn// adj

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

"done" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“done” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #236 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#236
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having completed or finished an activity.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

done vs due
50% similar
done vs dot
50% similar
done vs dye
50% similar

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

Key facts for done
PropertyValue
Headworddone
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dʌn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#236
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “done” 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). done 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 done is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dʌn/. Corpus data places it at rank #236 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for done, with forms such as "ddone", "dnoe", and "doen". 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, "due", "dot", "dye", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English don, idon, ydon, ȝedon, gedon, from Old English dōn, ġedōn, from Proto-West Germanic *dān, from Proto-Germanic *dēnaz (past participle of *dōną (“to do”)). Equivalent to do + -en (past participle ending). Cognate with Scots dune, deen, d… The correct English form is done, spelled D-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having completed or finished an activity.
  2. 2
    Completed or finished.
  3. 3
    Ready, fully cooked.
  4. 4
    Being exhausted or fully spent.
  5. 5
    Without hope or prospect of completion or success.
  6. 6
    Fashionable, socially acceptable, tasteful.
  7. 7
    Finished with (something).
  8. 8
    Punished.

Etymology

From Middle English don, idon, ydon, ȝedon, gedon, from Old English dōn, ġedōn, from Proto-West Germanic *dān, from Proto-Germanic *dēnaz (past participle of *dōną (“to do”)). Equivalent to do + -en (past participle ending). Cognate with Scots dune, deen, dene, dane (“done”), Saterland Frisian däin (“done”), West Frisian dien (“done”), Dutch gedaan (“done”), German Low German daan (“done”), German getan (“done”). More at do.

This word in other languages

listo(Español)fait(Français)gar(Deutsch)pronto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddone,dnoe,doen,odne

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddone1dnoe2doen2odne2
Edit distance from "done"

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 "done"?
"done" is spelled D-O-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dʌn/.
What does "done" mean?
As an adjective, "done" means: Having completed or finished an activity.
What words are commonly confused with "done"?
"done" is commonly confused with "due", "dot", "dye". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "done"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "done" is /dʌn/. 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 "done"?
From Middle English don, idon, ydon, ȝedon, gedon, from Old English dōn, ġedōn, from Proto-West Germanic *dān, from Proto-Germanic *dēnaz (past participle of *dōną (“to do”)). Equivalent to do + -en (past participle ending). Cognate with Scots dun... 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 “done”

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

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