dub

/dʌb/

//dʌb// verb

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

"dub" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dub” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #12,228) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#12,228
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - To confer knighthood; the conclusion of the ceremony was marked by a tap on the shoulder with a sword, the accolade.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dub · dub · English

dub · rank #12,228 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,228
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dread

Nearest frequency peer: dread (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “dub”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “dub” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dub vs dw
33% similar
dub vs Dx
0% similar
dub vs DV
0% similar

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

Key facts for dub
PropertyValue
Headworddub
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dʌb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#12,228
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dub” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). dub lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for dub is neighbouring look-alikes ("dw", "Dx", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /dʌb/. Frequency #12,228 among 3,470 “D” headwords. 9 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for dub, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dw", "Dx", "DV", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English dubben, from Old English dubbian (“to knight by striking with a sword, dub”) from Old French adober (“to equip with arms; adorn”) (also 11th century, Modern French adouber), both from Proto-West Germanic *dubbōn, from Proto-Germanic *dub… The correct English form is dub, spelled D-U-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    To confer knighthood; the conclusion of the ceremony was marked by a tap on the shoulder with a sword, the accolade.
  2. 2
    To name, to entitle, to call.
  3. 3
    To deem.
  4. 4
    To clothe or invest; to ornament; to adorn.
  5. 5
    To strike, rub, or dress smooth; to dab.
  6. 6
    To strike, rub, or dress smooth; to dab.
  7. 7
    To strike, rub, or dress smooth; to dab.
  8. 8
    To strike, rub, or dress smooth; to dab.
  9. 9
    To prepare (a gamecock) for fighting, by trimming the hackles and cutting off the comb and wattles.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. You promiſt Knighthood to our forward ſonne, / Vnſheath your ſword, and dub him preſently.
  2. It occurred to him that he had not been dubbed a knight, and that according to the law of chivalry he neither could nor ought to bear arms against any knight; […].

Etymology

From Middle English dubben, from Old English dubbian (“to knight by striking with a sword, dub”) from Old French adober (“to equip with arms; adorn”) (also 11th century, Modern French adouber), both from Proto-West Germanic *dubbōn, from Proto-Germanic *dub- (“to hit, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (“plug, peg, wedge”). Cognate with Icelandic dubba (in dubba til riddara). Compare also drub for an English reflex of the Germanic word.

This word in other languages

apodar(Español)adouber(Français)nennen(Deutsch)chamar(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dub"?
"dub" is spelled D-U-B. The IPA pronunciation is /dʌb/.
What does "dub" mean?
As a verb, "dub" means: To confer knighthood; the conclusion of the ceremony was marked by a tap on the shoulder with a sword, the accolade.
What words are commonly confused with "dub"?
"dub" is commonly confused with "dw", "Dx", "DV". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dub"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dub" is /dʌb/. 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 "dub"?
From Middle English dubben, from Old English dubbian (“to knight by striking with a sword, dub”) from Old French adober (“to equip with arms; adorn”) (also 11th century, Modern French adouber), both from Proto-West Germanic *dubbōn, from Proto-Ger... 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 "dub", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Gus#12,251ICC#12,257kat#12,262LAN#12,268
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list