downy

/ˈdaʊni/

//ˈdaʊni// adj

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

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

The verdict

“downy” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,024. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,024
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having down, covered with a soft fuzzy coating as of small feathers or hair.

Corpus desk

Index EN-downy · downy · English

downy · rank #47,024 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,024
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dru

Nearest frequency peer: Dru (+2 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 “downy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “downy” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

downy vs drown
60% similar
downy vs dowry
80% similar
downy vs drowns
67% similar

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

Key facts for downy
PropertyValue
Headworddowny
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdaʊni/
Letters5
Frequency rank#47,024
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “downy”

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).downylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Dru” (#47,026), “distrustful” (#47,021), “DSI” (#47,027). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “downy” is #47,024. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around downy (IPA /ˈdaʊni/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #47,024 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for downy, with forms such as "ddowny", "donwy", and "downny". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "drown", "dowry", "drowns", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From down + -y. The correct English form is downy, spelled D-O-W-N-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having down, covered with a soft fuzzy coating as of small feathers or hair.
  2. 2
    Sharp-witted, perceptive.
  3. 3
    Low-spirited; down in the mouth.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The chick's downy coat of feathers formed almost immediately to keep it warm.
  2. The right hon. Gentleman has much more claim to the adjective downy than I have, but he really cannot catch me with that one.

Etymology

From down + -y.

This word in other languages

duveteux(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddowny
  • donwy
  • downny
  • downyy
  • dowwny
  • dowyn
  • dwony
  • odwny

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of downy - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddowny1donwy2downny1downyy1dowwny1dowyn2dwony2odwny2
Edit distance from "downy"

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 "downy"?
"downy" is spelled D-O-W-N-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdaʊni/.
What does "downy" mean?
As an adjective, "downy" means: Having down, covered with a soft fuzzy coating as of small feathers or hair.
What words are commonly confused with "downy"?
"downy" is commonly confused with "drown", "dowry", "drowns". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "downy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "downy" is /ˈdaʊni/. 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 "downy"?
From down + -y. 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 "downy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

decry#47,010Enugu#47,041crone#47,002exalt#47,049

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

frizzy8 variantsCialis8 variantschums8 variantsChiara8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list