Dover

/ˈdəʊ.və/

//ˈdəʊ.və// name

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

"dover" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Dover” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,502 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#13,502
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A town, civil parish (with a town council) and major port in Kent, England, the closest point to France (OS grid ref TR3141).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Dover vs dyer
40% similar
Dover vs doze
40% similar
Dover vs drove
40% similar

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

Key facts for Dover
PropertyValue
HeadwordDover
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈdəʊ.və/
Letters5
Frequency rank#13,502
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Dover” 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). Dover 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 Dover is 5 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdəʊ.və/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,502 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 38 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Dover, with forms such as "ddover", "doevr", and "doverr". 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, "dyer", "doze", "drove", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old English Dofras, from Latin Dubris, from Brythonic Dubras (“the waters”), from Proto-Celtic *dubros (“water”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰubrós (“dark”), from *dʰewb- (“deep”). Compare Tauber. The village in Nova Scotia is likely named after the to… The correct English form is Dover, spelled D-O-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A town, civil parish (with a town council) and major port in Kent, England, the closest point to France (OS grid ref TR3141).
  2. 2
    A sea area between this port and France.
  3. 3
    A local government district of Kent, including this town and port.
  4. 4
    A neighbourhood of Abram, Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England (OS grid ref SD6001).
  5. 5
    A town in Huon Valley council area, southern Tasmania, Australia.
  6. 6
    A neighborhood of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
  7. 7
    A small fishing and lumber town in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada; formerly, Shoal Bay and Wellington.
  8. 8
    A village in Nova Scotia, Canada.
  9. 9
    A neighborhood of Singapore.
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  38. 38
    A surname.

Etymology

From Old English Dofras, from Latin Dubris, from Brythonic Dubras (“the waters”), from Proto-Celtic *dubros (“water”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰubrós (“dark”), from *dʰewb- (“deep”). Compare Tauber. The village in Nova Scotia is likely named after the town in England.

This word in other languages

Douvres(Français)Dover(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddover,doevr,doverr,dovre,dovver,dvoer,odver

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddover1doevr2doverr1dovre2dovver1dvoer2odver2
Edit distance from "Dover"

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 "Dover"?
"Dover" is spelled D-O-V-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdəʊ.və/.
What does "Dover" mean?
As a proper noun, "Dover" means: A town, civil parish (with a town council) and major port in Kent, England, the closest point to France (OS grid ref TR3141).
What words are commonly confused with "Dover"?
"Dover" is commonly confused with "dyer", "doze", "drove". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Dover"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Dover" is /ˈdəʊ.və/. 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 "Dover"?
From Old English Dofras, from Latin Dubris, from Brythonic Dubras (“the waters”), from Proto-Celtic *dubros (“water”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰubrós (“dark”), from *dʰewb- (“deep”). Compare Tauber. The village in Nova Scotia is likely named af... 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 “Dover”

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

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