dud
/dʌd/noun, adjective, verb
dud is spelled D-U-D: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, dud means “A device or machine that is useless because it does not work properly or has failed to work, such as a bomb, or explosive projectile” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dud is duds.
How many letters and syllables are in dud?
| Letters | 3: D-U-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,270th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is dud?
Dud appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce dud?
- /dʌd/
Dud has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-dud.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of dud
- duds plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- duddest superlative
- dudding participle, present
- dudded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dud mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
informalA device or machine that is useless because it does not work properly or has failed to work, such as a bomb, or explosive projectile.
- 2
informalA failure of any kind.
I got stuck with a seatmate who was a conversational dud.
- 3
informalA loser; an unlucky person.
- 4
informalA lottery ticket that does not give a payout.
- 5
informalobsoleteClothes, now always used in plural form duds.
adjective
- 1
Useless; failing; ineffective.
verb
- 1
Australiato swindle; to deceive or rip off.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dud in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | munition non explosée |
| German | Blindgänger, Versager , Niete |
| Spanish | llufa (DEA) |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does dud come from?
From Middle English dudde (“cloak, mantle, kind of cloth; ragged clothing or cloth”), from Old English *dudda (attested only as personal name Dudda, part of modern English Dudley), akin to Old Norse dúði (“swaddling clothes”), Low German dudel. Possibly borrowed from the Old Norse word and related to dýja (“to shake, tremble”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).