dope

[dəʊp]

/[dəʊp]/ noun

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

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

The verdict

“dope” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,275 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,275
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any viscous liquid or paste, such as a lubricant, used in preparing a surface.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dope vs DP
0% similar
dope vs due
50% similar
dope vs dot
50% similar

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

Key facts for dope
PropertyValue
Headworddope
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[dəʊp]
Letters4
Frequency rank#8,275
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dope” 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). dope 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 dope is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [dəʊp]. Corpus data places it at rank #8,275 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for dope, with forms such as "ddope", "doep", and "doppe". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "DP", "due", "dot", 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 Dutch doop (“thick dipping sauce”), from Dutch dopen (“to dip”), from Middle Dutch dopen, from Old Dutch *dōpen, from Frankish *daupijan, from Proto-Germanic *daupijaną. “Doop” in the sense “narcotic drug” ultimately refers to viscous opium juice, the … The correct English form is dope, spelled D-O-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any viscous liquid or paste, such as a lubricant, used in preparing a surface.
  2. 2
    An absorbent material used to hold a liquid.
  3. 3
    Any varnish used to coat a part, such as an airplane wing or a hot-air balloon in order to waterproof, strengthen, etc.
  4. 4
    Any of various recreational substances
  5. 5
    Any of various recreational substances:
  6. 6
    Any of various recreational substances:
  7. 7
    Information, usually from an inside source, originally in horse racing and other sports.
  8. 8
    Ballistic data on previously fired rounds, used to calculate the required hold over a target.
  9. 9
    A stupid person.
  10. 10
    Dessert topping.
  11. 11
    A soft drink.

Etymology

From Dutch doop (“thick dipping sauce”), from Dutch dopen (“to dip”), from Middle Dutch dopen, from Old Dutch *dōpen, from Frankish *daupijan, from Proto-Germanic *daupijaną. “Doop” in the sense “narcotic drug” ultimately refers to viscous opium juice, the drug of choice of the ancient Greeks; “insider information” perhaps from knowing which horse had been doped in a race. Sense of "stupid person" perhaps following from the drug sense (i.e. relating to those intoxicated on opium), compare dope up. Related to English dip and German taufen. Unrelated to dopamine.

This word in other languages

patine(Français)Schmiere(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddope,doep,doppe,dpoe,odpe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddope1doep2doppe1dpoe2odpe2
Edit distance from "dope"

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 "dope"?
"dope" is spelled D-O-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is [dəʊp].
What does "dope" mean?
As a noun, "dope" means: Any viscous liquid or paste, such as a lubricant, used in preparing a surface.
What words are commonly confused with "dope"?
"dope" is commonly confused with "DP", "due", "dot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dope"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dope" is [dəʊp]. 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 "dope"?
From Dutch doop (“thick dipping sauce”), from Dutch dopen (“to dip”), from Middle Dutch dopen, from Old Dutch *dōpen, from Frankish *daupijan, from Proto-Germanic *daupijaną. “Doop” in the sense “narcotic drug” ultimately refers to viscous opium j... 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 “dope”

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

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