doubtful

/ˈdaʊtfəl/

//ˈdaʊtfəl// adj

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

"doubtful" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“doubtful” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,517. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,517
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Subject to, or causing doubt.

Corpus desk

Index EN-doubtful · doubtful · English

doubtful · rank #14,517 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,517
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dosage

Nearest frequency peer: dosage (-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 “doubtful”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “doubtful” 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
Key facts for doubtful
PropertyValue
Headworddoubtful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdaʊtfəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,517
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “doubtful”

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).doubtfullands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “dosage” (#14,516), “dysfunction” (#14,518), “dishonest” (#14,515). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “doubtful” is #14,517. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around doubtful (IPA /ˈdaʊtfəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #14,517 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for doubtful, with forms such as "ddoubtful", "dobutful", and "doubbtful". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English doutfull, douteful, equivalent to doubt + -ful. The correct English form is doubtful, spelled D-O-U-B-T-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Subject to, or causing doubt.
  2. 2
    Experiencing or showing doubt, skeptical.
  3. 3
    Undecided or of uncertain outcome.
  4. 4
    Fearsome, dreadful.
  5. 5
    Improbable or unlikely.
  6. 6
    Suspicious, or of dubious character.
  7. 7
    Unclear or unreliable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Yet it is not the predominant views of the experts but the views of a minority, mostly of rather doubtful standing in their profession, which are taken up and spread by the intellectuals.
  2. The pupils of her great eyes were large in the doubtful lamplight, swallowing their green fires in deep pools of mystery and darkness.

Etymology

From Middle English doutfull, douteful, equivalent to doubt + -ful.

This word in other languages

dudoso(Español)douteux(Français)zweifelhaft(Deutsch)duvidoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddoubtful
  • dobutful
  • doubbtful
  • doubftul
  • doubtfful
  • doubtflu
  • doubtfull
  • doubttful
  • doubtufl
  • doutbful
  • duobtful
  • odubtful

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of doubtful - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddoubtful1dobutful2doubbtful1doubftul2doubtfful1doubtflu2doubtfull1doubttful1
Edit distance from "doubtful"

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 "doubtful"?
"doubtful" is spelled D-O-U-B-T-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdaʊtfəl/.
What does "doubtful" mean?
As an adjective, "doubtful" means: Subject to, or causing doubt.
What are common misspellings of "doubtful"?
Common misspellings include "ddoubtful", "dobutful", "doubbtful", "doubftul", "doubtfful". The correct spelling is "doubtful".
How do you pronounce "doubtful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "doubtful" is /ˈdaʊtfəl/. 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 "doubtful"?
From Middle English doutfull, douteful, equivalent to doubt + -ful. 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 "doubtful", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

engraved#14,522erection#14,525eruption#14,526examiner#14,527

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

cruising12 variantsfidelity12 variantsBuchanan12 variantshardened12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list