dowser
/ˈdaʊzə/
"dowser" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“dowser” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. 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) - A divining rod used in searching for water, ore, etc.; a dowsing rod.
Corpus desk
Index EN-dowser · dowser · English
dowser · 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 | dowser |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈdaʊzə/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “dowser” in English
Rare enough to double-check
dowser is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdaʊzə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for dowser in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From dowse + -er. The correct English form is dowser, spelled D-O-W-S-E-R.
Definition
- 1A divining rod used in searching for water, ore, etc.; a dowsing rod.
- 2One who uses the dowser or divining rod. A diviner.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how dowser appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Interestingly enough, John Mullins, the celebrated English dowser, was able to do this experiment using a forked twig, rather than a pendulum. He claimed to be able to locate nothing but water with his dowsing rod.
The instrument a dowser uses is called a dowsing rod, dowsing stick, doodlebug (when used to locate oil), or divining rod. Almost any item can be used for this purpose: a birch twig, a whalebone, and even a hanger.
Etymology
From dowse + -er.
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.