dower
[ˈdaw.ɚ]noun, verb
dower is spelled D-O-W-E-R: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “dour vs dower” about 10 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, dower means “The part of or interest in a deceased husband's property provided to his widow, usually in the form of a life estate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dower is dowers.
How many letters and syllables are in dower?
| Letters | 5: D-O-W-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 58,063rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Same letters |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is dower?
Dower appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,063rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce dower?
- /ˈdaʊ.əɹ/
- UK [ˈdaʊ.ə(ɹ)]
- US [ˈdaw.ɚ]
Dower has one syllable (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-dower.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with dower
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with dower?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as dower.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: rowed.
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 dower
- dowers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- dowering participle, present
- dowered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dower mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The part of or interest in a deceased husband's property provided to his widow, usually in the form of a life estate.
- 2
Property given by a groom to his bride or her family, at or before their wedding, in order to legitimize the marriage
- 3
obsoleteThat with which one is gifted or endowed; endowment; gift.
- 4
Alternative spelling of dougher.
verb
- 1
To give a dower or dowry to.
- 2
To endow.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dower in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dot , douaire |
| German | Leibzucht, Leibgedinge , Wittum |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does dower come from?
From Middle English dower, dowere, from Old French doeire, from Medieval Latin dōtārium, from Latin dōs. Doublet of dowry.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).