dose

/dəʊs/

//dəʊs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“dose” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,124 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,124
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A measured portion of medicine taken at any one time.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dose vs DS
0% similar
dose vs due
50% similar
dose vs dot
50% similar

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

Key facts for dose
PropertyValue
Headworddose
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dəʊs/
Letters4
Frequency rank#5,124
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dose” 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). dose 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 dose is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dəʊs/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,124 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 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 dose, with forms such as "ddose", "dosse", and "dsoe". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "DS", "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: Borrowed from Middle French dose, from Late Latin dosis, from Ancient Greek δόσις (dósis, “a portion prescribed”, literally “a giving”), used by Galen and other Greek physicians to mean an amount of medicine, from δίδωμι (dídōmi, “to give”). Doublet of doos. The correct English form is dose, spelled D-O-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A measured portion of medicine taken at any one time.
  2. 2
    The quantity of an agent (not always active), substance, or radiation administered or experienced at any one time.
  3. 3
    Anything disagreeable that must be taken.
  4. 4
    A good measure or lengthy experience of something.
  5. 5
    A venereal infection.
  6. 6
    A cold; a common, viral illness of the nasal passage, sometimes with fever.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French dose, from Late Latin dosis, from Ancient Greek δόσις (dósis, “a portion prescribed”, literally “a giving”), used by Galen and other Greek physicians to mean an amount of medicine, from δίδωμι (dídōmi, “to give”). Doublet of doos.

This word in other languages

dosis(Español)dose(Français)Dosis(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddose,dosse,dsoe,odse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddose1dosse1dsoe2odse2
Edit distance from "dose"

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 "dose"?
"dose" is spelled D-O-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dəʊs/.
What does "dose" mean?
As a noun, "dose" means: A measured portion of medicine taken at any one time.
What words are commonly confused with "dose"?
"dose" is commonly confused with "DS", "due", "dot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dose"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dose" is /dəʊs/. 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 "dose"?
Borrowed from Middle French dose, from Late Latin dosis, from Ancient Greek δόσις (dósis, “a portion prescribed”, literally “a giving”), used by Galen and other Greek physicians to mean an amount of medicine, from δίδωμι (dídōmi, “to give”). Doubl... 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 “dose”

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

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