duke

/dʒuːk/

//dʒuːk// noun

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

"duke" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“duke” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,293 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,293
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The male ruler of a duchy (female equivalent: duchess).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

duke vs duo
50% similar
duke vs dye
50% similar
duke vs dun
50% similar

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

Key facts for duke
PropertyValue
Headwordduke
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dʒuːk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,293
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “duke” 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). duke lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for duke is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dʒuːk/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,293 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for duke, with forms such as "dduke", "dkue", and "duek". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "duo", "dye", "dun", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French duc, through Middle English duk, duke, from Latin dux, ducis. Displaced native Old English heretoga. Was present as duc in late Old English, from the same Latin source. Doublet of doge, duc, duce, and dux. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European… The correct English form is duke, spelled D-U-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The male ruler of a duchy (female equivalent: duchess).
  2. 2
    The sovereign of a small state.
  3. 3
    A high title of nobility; the male holder of a dukedom.
  4. 4
    A grand duke.
  5. 5
    Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the Asian genera Bassarona and Dophla.
  6. 6
    A fist.

Etymology

From Old French duc, through Middle English duk, duke, from Latin dux, ducis. Displaced native Old English heretoga. Was present as duc in late Old English, from the same Latin source. Doublet of doge, duc, duce, and dux. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk-, which is also the source of the second component in German Herzog. The “fist” sense is thought to be Cockney rhyming slang where “Duke(s) of York” = fork. Fork is itself Cockney slang for hand, and thus fist.

This word in other languages

duque(Español)duc(Français)Herzog(Deutsch)duque(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: dduke,dkue,duek,dukke,udke

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of duke - 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.

dduke1dkue2duek2dukke1udke2
Edit distance from "duke"

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 "duke"?
"duke" is spelled D-U-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dʒuːk/.
What does "duke" mean?
As a noun, "duke" means: The male ruler of a duchy (female equivalent: duchess).
What words are commonly confused with "duke"?
"duke" is commonly confused with "duo", "dye", "dun". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "duke"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "duke" is /dʒuːk/. 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 "duke"?
From Old French duc, through Middle English duk, duke, from Latin dux, ducis. Displaced native Old English heretoga. Was present as duc in late Old English, from the same Latin source. Doublet of doge, duc, duce, and dux. Ultimately from Proto-Ind... 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.

Using “duke”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-U-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dʒuːk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “duo” - see the side-by-side comparison. duke vs duo
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list