dragonfly

/ˈdɹæɡənˌflaɪ/

//ˈdɹæɡənˌflaɪ// noun

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

"dragonfly" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dragonfly” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,816. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,816
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An insect of the suborder Epiprocta or, more strictly, the infraorder Anisoptera, having four long transparent wings held perpendicular to a long body when perched.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dragonfly · dragonfly · English

dragonfly · rank #27,816 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,816
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dorado

Nearest frequency peer: Dorado (-1 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 “dragonfly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dragonfly” 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
Key facts for dragonfly
PropertyValue
Headworddragonfly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdɹæɡənˌflaɪ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#27,816
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dragonfly”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).dragonflylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Dorado” (#27,815), “Driscoll” (#27,817), “disseminate” (#27,814). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dragonfly” is #27,816. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around dragonfly (IPA /ˈdɹæɡənˌflaɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,816 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An insect of the suborder Epiprocta or, more strictly, the infraorder Anisoptera, having four long transparent wings held perpendicular to a long body when perched.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for dragonfly, with forms such as "dargonfly", "ddragonfly", and "draggonfly". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From dragon + fly. Compare drakefly (“mayfly”). The correct English form is dragonfly, spelled D-R-A-G-O-N-F-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An insect of the suborder Epiprocta or, more strictly, the infraorder Anisoptera, having four long transparent wings held perpendicular to a long body when perched.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There were two dragonflies in the garden today.
  2. The delicate coloured Dragon Flies may have likewise some Corrosive quality.

Etymology

From dragon + fly. Compare drakefly (“mayfly”).

Synonyms

adderboltbattimamselledarnerdarning needledevil's darning needledevil's needledining needleear sewerhorse-stingermosquito flymosquito hawkneedleskeeter hawksnake doctorsnake feederspindlewitch doctor

This word in other languages

libélula(Español)libellule(Français)Libelle(Deutsch)libélula(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dargonfly
  • ddragonfly
  • draggonfly
  • dragnofly
  • dragofnly
  • dragonffly
  • dragonflly
  • dragonflyy
  • dragonfyl
  • dragonlfy
  • dragonnfly
  • draognfly
  • drgaonfly
  • drragonfly
  • rdagonfly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dragonfly - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

dargonfly2ddragonfly1draggonfly1dragnofly2dragofnly2dragonffly1dragonflly1dragonflyy1
Edit distance from "dragonfly"

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 "dragonfly"?
"dragonfly" is spelled D-R-A-G-O-N-F-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɹæɡənˌflaɪ/.
What does "dragonfly" mean?
As a noun, "dragonfly" means: An insect of the suborder Epiprocta or, more strictly, the infraorder Anisoptera, having four long transparent wings held perpendicular to a long body when perched.
What are common misspellings of "dragonfly"?
Common misspellings include "dargonfly", "ddragonfly", "draggonfly", "dragnofly", "dragofnly". The correct spelling is "dragonfly".
How do you pronounce "dragonfly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dragonfly" is /ˈdɹæɡənˌflaɪ/. 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 "dragonfly"?
From dragon + fly. Compare drakefly (“mayfly”). 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 "dragonfly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dispenser#27,813evocative#27,830fingering#27,837contagion#27,788

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

dislocated15 variantsdesolation15 variantsfinancials15 variantsbyproduct15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list