# doubt

> English word · Verb · IPA /daʊt/ · frequency rank #1,333

## Definitions
1. To be undecided about; to lack confidence in; to disbelieve, to question.
2. To harbour suspicion about; suspect.
3. To anticipate with dread or fear; to apprehend.
4. To fill with fear; to affright.
5. To dread, to fear.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Latin dubō
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
Proto-Italic *-āō
Latin -ō
Latin -tō
Latin -itō
Latin dubitō
Old French doterbor.
Middle English douten
▲
Old French doter
Old French doutebor.
Middle English doute
▲
English dubiousinflu.
▲
Latin dubitōinflu.
English doubt
The verb is derived from Middle English douten (“to doubt, fear, worry”) [and other forms], from Old French douter, doter, duter (compare Middle French doubter), from Latin dubitāre (“to be uncertain, doubt; to hesitate, waver in coming to an opinion; to consider, ponder”); the further etymology is uncertain, but one theory is that dubitō may be derived from dubius (“fluctuating, wavering; doubtful, dubious, uncertain”), from duhibius (“held as two”), from duo (“two”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (“two”)) + habeō (“to have, hold”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- (“to grab, take”)). Spelling reformers of the early modern period added the letter b to reflect the Latin root dubitō, but it has never been pronounced in English.
The noun is derived from Middle English dout, doute (“uncertainty, hesitation; questionable point; anxiety, fear, reverence”) [and other forms],
from Old French doute, dote, dute (“uncertain feeling, doubt”), from doter, douter, duter (“to doubt, fear”) (compare Middle French doubter; modern French douter (“to doubt, suspect”)); see further etymology above.
Displaced Old English twēo (“doubt”) and twēoġan (“to doubt”).

## Easily confused with
- **dub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/doubt-vs-dub)
- **dust** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/doubt-vs-dust)
- **Doug** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/doubt-vs-doug)
- **duct** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/doubt-vs-duct)
- **duet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/doubt-vs-duet)
- **dubs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/doubt-vs-dubs)
- **dour** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/doubt-vs-dour)
- **dough** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/doubt-vs-dough)
- **douse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/doubt-vs-douse)
- **doubts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/doubt-vs-doubts)
- **doubted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/doubt-vs-doubted)
- **dot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dot-vs-doubt)
- **dob** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dob-vs-doubt)
- **dont** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dont-vs-doubt)
- **debt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/debt-vs-doubt)
- **dost** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dost-vs-doubt)
- **don't** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/don-t-vs-doubt)
- **donut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/donut-vs-doubt)
- **Dobbs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dobbs-vs-doubt)
- **Dolby** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dolby-vs-doubt)

## Common misspellings (7)
`ddoubt`, `dobut`, `doubbt`, `doubtt`, `doutb`, `duobt`, `odubt`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/doubt