dory

/ˈdɔːɹi/

//ˈdɔːɹi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“dory” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,360. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,360
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small flat-bottomed boat with pointed or somewhat pointed ends, used for fishing both offshore and on rivers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dory · dory · English

dory · rank #25,360 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,360
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dork

Nearest frequency peer: dork (-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 “dory”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dory” 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).

dory vs Dr
25% similar
dory vs dy
50% similar
dory vs dry
75% similar

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

Key facts for dory
PropertyValue
Headworddory
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɔːɹi/
Letters4
Frequency rank#25,360
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dory”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).dorylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “dork” (#25,359), “doves” (#25,361), “Donetsk” (#25,358). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dory” is #25,360. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around dory (IPA /ˈdɔːɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,360 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A small flat-bottomed boat with pointed or somewhat pointed ends, used for fishing both offshore and on rivers.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for dory, with forms such as "ddory", "dorry", and "doryy". 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, "Dr", "dy", "dry", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested in American English from 1709 C.E.; possibly derived from an indigenous language of the West Indies or Central America, perhaps Miskito. The correct English form is dory, spelled D-O-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small flat-bottomed boat with pointed or somewhat pointed ends, used for fishing both offshore and on rivers.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how dory appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. From every schooner, dories were being dropped into the shining, clear water. The sound of voices and the splashes of oars carried across the sea.
  2. He and Gerald usually challenged the rollers in a sponson canoe when Gerald was there for the weekend; or, when Lansing came down, the two took long swims seaward or cruised about in Gerald's dory, clad in their swimming-suits; and Selwyn's youth became renewed in a manner almost ridiculous […]

Etymology

Attested in American English from 1709 C.E.; possibly derived from an indigenous language of the West Indies or Central America, perhaps Miskito.

This word in other languages

doris(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddory
  • dorry
  • doryy
  • doyr
  • droy
  • odry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddory1dorry1doryy1doyr2droy2odry2
Edit distance from "dory"

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 "dory"?
"dory" is spelled D-O-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɔːɹi/.
What does "dory" mean?
As a noun, "dory" means: A small flat-bottomed boat with pointed or somewhat pointed ends, used for fishing both offshore and on rivers.
What words are commonly confused with "dory"?
"dory" is commonly confused with "Dr", "dy", "dry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dory"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dory" is /ˈdɔːɹi/. 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 "dory"?
Attested in American English from 1709 C.E.; possibly derived from an indigenous language of the West Indies or Central America, perhaps Miskito. 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 "dory", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dork#25,359egos#25,368Eton#25,377Faso#25,383

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

deems6 variantsfiend6 variantsclit6 variantsBennet6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list