dotty
/ˈdɑ.ti/adjective, noun
dotty is spelled D-O-T-T-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,954th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Dotty, the name). As an adjective, dotty means “Mildly insane or eccentric; often, senile” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in dotty?
| Letters | 5: D-O-T-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,954th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is dotty?
Dotty appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,954th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Dotty, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce dotty?
- /ˈdɒti/
- US /ˈdɑ.ti/
- US [ˈdɑ.ɾi]
Dotty has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-dotty.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with dotty
Also written: dots.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with dotty?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as dotty from its last stressed vowel (/ɑti/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of dotty
- dottier comparative
- dottiest superlative
- dotties plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dotty mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
AustraliaUKcolloquialMildly insane or eccentric; often, senile.
My nan has got dottier and dottier since passing the age of eighty.
- 2
UKdatedHaving an unsteady gait.
- 3
Having many dots.
Look at the dotty pattern on that cheetah's fur.
noun
- 1
A shotgun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does dotty come from?
See dote, or compare totty (“unsteady, dizzy”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).