dovish
/ˈdʌvɪʃ/
"dovish" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dovish” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Pertaining to a dove; dove-like.
Corpus desk
Index EN-dovish · dovish · English
dovish · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "D" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | dovish |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈdʌvɪʃ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “dovish” in English
Rare enough to double-check
dovish is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈdʌvɪʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for dovish, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. 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 dove + -ish. The correct English form is dovish, spelled D-O-V-I-S-H.
Definition
- 1Pertaining to a dove; dove-like.
- 2Peaceful, conciliatory.
- 3Disfavoring increasing interest rates; inclined against increasing interest rates.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how dovish appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
According to Kathleen A. Francovic, director of surveys for CBS News, it was the “war and peace” issue that seemed to separate the sexes in 1980, with women predictably perched on the dovish side.
Doubtless an expression of frustration at the UN secretary general, who has long been too dovish for Bush administration tastes.
Etymology
From dove + -ish.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.