dorsal

/ˈdɔː.səl/

//ˈdɔː.səl// adj

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

"dorsal" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dorsal” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,011. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,011
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - With respect to, or concerning the side in which the backbone is located, or the analogous side of an invertebrate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dorsal · dorsal · English

dorsal · rank #16,011 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,011
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH durability

Nearest frequency peer: durability (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “dorsal”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “dorsal” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dorsal vs Dorset
50% similar
dorsal vs Dorsey
50% similar
dorsal vs Dora
50% similar

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

Key facts for dorsal
PropertyValue
Headworddorsal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdɔː.səl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#16,011
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dorsal”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “durability” (#16,012), “divinity” (#16,009), “empress” (#16,013). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dorsal” is #16,011. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around dorsal (IPA /ˈdɔː.səl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #16,011 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for dorsal, with forms such as "ddorsal", "dorasl", and "dorrsal". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "Dorset", "Dorsey", "Dora", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English dorsal/dorsale, borrowing from Medieval Latin dorsālis (“of or relating to the back”), from dorsum (“the back”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to dorsum + -al. The correct English form is dorsal, spelled D-O-R-S-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    With respect to, or concerning the side in which the backbone is located, or the analogous side of an invertebrate.
  2. 2
    With respect to, or concerning the side in which the backbone is located, or the analogous side of an invertebrate.
  3. 3
    Having only one sharp side.
  4. 4
    Relating to the surface naturally inferior, as of a leaf.
  5. 5
    Relating to the surface naturally superior, as of a creeping hepatic moss.

Etymology

From Late Middle English dorsal/dorsale, borrowing from Medieval Latin dorsālis (“of or relating to the back”), from dorsum (“the back”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to dorsum + -al.

Antonyms

ventral

This word in other languages

dorsal(Español)dorsal(Français)Rücken-(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddorsal
  • dorasl
  • dorrsal
  • dorsall
  • dorsla
  • dorssal
  • dosral
  • drosal
  • odrsal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dorsal - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddorsal1dorasl2dorrsal1dorsall1dorsla2dorssal1dosral2drosal2
Edit distance from "dorsal"

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 "dorsal"?
"dorsal" is spelled D-O-R-S-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɔː.səl/.
What does "dorsal" mean?
As an adjective, "dorsal" means: With respect to, or concerning the side in which the backbone is located, or the analogous side of an invertebrate.
What words are commonly confused with "dorsal"?
"dorsal" is commonly confused with "Dorset", "Dorsey", "Dora". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dorsal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dorsal" is /ˈdɔː.səl/. 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 "dorsal"?
From Late Middle English dorsal/dorsale, borrowing from Medieval Latin dorsālis (“of or relating to the back”), from dorsum (“the back”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to dorsum + -al. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "dorsal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

enroll#16,015Fallon#16,021Crimea#15,997gadget#16,029

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

empress9 variantscunning9 variantsgreasy9 variantshideous9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list