doodlebug
/ˈduːdl̩ˌbʌɡ/
"doodlebug" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“doodlebug” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The V-1 flying bomb.
Corpus desk
Index EN-doodlebug · doodlebug · English
doodlebug · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "D" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | doodlebug |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈduːdl̩ˌbʌɡ/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “doodlebug” in English
Rare enough to double-check
doodlebug is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈduːdl̩ˌbʌɡ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 11 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for doodlebug in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From doodle + bug. The correct English form is doodlebug, spelled D-O-O-D-L-E-B-U-G.
Definition
- 1The V-1 flying bomb.
- 2An automobile converted into a cheap tractor for a small farm during the Second World War.
- 3An antlion larva (Myrmeleontidae).
- 4A cockchafer (genus Melolontha).
- 5A woodlouse.
- 6A term of endearment.
- 7A slackard or time-waster.
- 8An idiot.
- 9Someone who draws constantly.
- 10A divining rod or similarly intended device.
- 11Individual self-propelled train cars.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how doodlebug appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Soon after Richard was adopted, Orwell's flat was wrecked by a doodlebug.
Common names for woodlice vary throughout the English-speaking world. They include roly-poly, pill bug (usually applied only to the genus Armadillidium), sow bug, doodle bug, carpenter (Newfoundland),[…] cheesybug (Kent), and cheeselog.
Etymology
From doodle + bug.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.