dude
/duːd/noun, interjection, verb
dude is spelled D-U-D-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 65 times per million words in written English, the 1,636th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, dude means “A man, generally a younger man” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dude is dudes.
How many letters and syllables are in dude?
| Letters | 4: D-U-D-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 65 times per million words; the 1,636th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is dude?
Dude appears 65 times per million words in written English, the 1,636th 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 dude?
- US /duːd/
- US [dʉːwd]
- UK /d(j)uːd/
Dude 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: En-us-dude.ogg, En-au-dude.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with dude?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as dude from its last stressed vowel (/ud/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of dude
- dudes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- dood
- dewd
- d00d
- dud
- dued
- dudeing participle, present
- duding participle, present
- duded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dude mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
CanadaUScolloquialA man, generally a younger man.
So we were at the mall and these two dudes just walk up to us and say "hi".
- 2
colloquialA term of address for someone, often but not exclusively a man, particularly when hailing, cautioning them or offering advice.
Hey, dude, how's it going?
- 3
slangA tourist.
- 4
derogatoryA birder who has expensive clothing and equipment, but scant knowledge of birds, their fieldmarks, habits, etc.
- 5
archaicA man who is very concerned about his dress and appearance; a dandy, a fop.
- 6
USIn the west, a city slicker with scant knowledge of horses, cattle, or frontier survival.
interjection
- 1
slangA term of address, usually for a man, conveying awe, excitement, surprise, annoyance, etc.
Dude! You finally called!
verb
- 1
To address someone as dude.
- 2
To take a vacation in a dude ranch.
- 3
USUsually followed by up: to dress up, to wear smart or special clothes.
"Speaking of being duded out …" He shrugged, then handed her the bag. "Here. This is for you." / She reached inside and gasped as she pulled out a white suede western style hat. A glittering gold braid encircled the brim. / "Oh, Zack! It's
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dude in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gars, mec, type , mon pote, man |
| German | Kerl, Junge , Alter |
| Portuguese | cara, tipo , pá |
| Spanish | tipo, amigo, mae, tío, bato, compay |
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 dude come from?
Uncertain, though likely a clipping of doodle (“fool, simpleton, mindless person”), perhaps with reference to the fashionable “Yankee Doodle dandy” in the 18th-century lyrics of the song “Yankee Doodle”; the word is first attested in 1883 as a New York City slang term of contempt for a “fastidious man, fop”. If so, then related to German Low German Dudeldop, Dudendop (“fool, dunce”), Saterland Frisian Duddigegen (“idiot”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).