dubious

/ˈd͡ʒuː.bi.əs/

//ˈd͡ʒuː.bi.əs// adj

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

"dubious" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dubious” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,150. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,150
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Arousing doubt; questionable; open to suspicion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dubious · dubious · English

dubious · rank #15,150 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,150
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH diverted

Nearest frequency peer: diverted (-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 “dubious”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “dubious” 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).

dubious vs Dubois
57% similar
dubious vs devious
71% similar

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

Key facts for dubious
PropertyValue
Headworddubious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈd͡ʒuː.bi.əs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#15,150
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “dubious”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “diverted” (#15,149), “Dudley” (#15,151), “dissolve” (#15,148). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dubious” is #15,150. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around dubious (IPA /ˈd͡ʒuː.bi.əs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #15,150 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for dubious, with forms such as "dbuious", "ddubious", and "dubbious". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Dubois", "devious", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Latin dubiusbor. English dubious From Latin dubius; like doubt, from Latin duo (cognate to English two), implying “two alternatives” (yes or no, true or false, etc.). The correct English form is dubious, spelled D-U-B-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Arousing doubt; questionable; open to suspicion.
  2. 2
    In disbelief; wavering, uncertain, or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt; undecided.
  3. 3
    Generally considered imprecise or wrong, but not totally unplayable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. After he made some dubious claims about the company, fewer people trusted him.
  2. They were renowned as people of dubious morals.

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin dubiusbor. English dubious From Latin dubius; like doubt, from Latin duo (cognate to English two), implying “two alternatives” (yes or no, true or false, etc.).

This word in other languages

dudoso(Español)douteux(Français)dubios(Deutsch)duvidoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • dbuious
  • ddubious
  • dubbious
  • dubiosu
  • dubiouss
  • dubiuos
  • duboius
  • duibous
  • udbious

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dubious - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

dbuious2ddubious1dubbious1dubiosu2dubiouss1dubiuos2duboius2duibous2
Edit distance from "dubious"

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 "dubious"?
"dubious" is spelled D-U-B-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒuː.bi.əs/.
What does "dubious" mean?
As an adjective, "dubious" means: Arousing doubt; questionable; open to suspicion.
What words are commonly confused with "dubious"?
"dubious" is commonly confused with "Dubois", "devious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dubious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dubious" is /ˈd͡ʒuː.bi.əs/. 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 "dubious"?
Etymology tree Latin dubiusbor. English dubious From Latin dubius; like doubt, from Latin duo (cognate to English two), implying “two alternatives” (yes or no, true or false, etc.). 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 "dubious", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

eagerly#15,153derrick#15,141commits#15,135chilled#15,125

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Dudley9 variantsdurant9 variantsbumped9 variantsbraces9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list