dulcet

/ˈdʌl.sɪt/

//ˈdʌl.sɪt// adj

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

"dulcet" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dulcet” is uncommon English (frequency #85,203 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,203
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sweet, especially when describing voice or tones; melodious.

Corpus desk

Index EN-dulcet · dulcet · English

dulcet · rank #85,203 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,203
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dukedom

Nearest frequency peer: dukedom (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “dulcet”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “dulcet” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for dulcet
PropertyValue
Headworddulcet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdʌl.sɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#85,203
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dulcet” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “dukedom” (#85,202), “Dunston” (#85,204), “ductility” (#85,200). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dulcet” is #85,203. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dulcet is uncommon English at frequency #85,203 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈdʌl.sɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for dulcet in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English doucet, from Old French doucet, from dulz, dulce (“sweet, pleasant”) + diminutive -et, from Latin dulcis (“sweet, pleasant”). Cognate with Spanish dulce, French doux, Italian dolce, Portuguese doce, and Romanian dulce. Doublet of dolcett… The correct English form is dulcet, spelled D-U-L-C-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sweet, especially when describing voice or tones; melodious.
  2. 2
    Generally pleasing; agreeable.
  3. 3
    Sweet to the taste.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Her name was Michaela, but the men called her filthy things in dulcet, ingratiating voices, and she giggled with childish joy because she understood no English and thought they were flattering her and making harmless jokes.
  2. Matthew "MattKC" Wong (actor) (2024), 6s from the start, in I ported THOUSANDS of apps to Windows 95: “Ah, yes, the dulcet tones of Windows 95.”

Etymology

From Middle English doucet, from Old French doucet, from dulz, dulce (“sweet, pleasant”) + diminutive -et, from Latin dulcis (“sweet, pleasant”). Cognate with Spanish dulce, French doux, Italian dolce, Portuguese doce, and Romanian dulce. Doublet of dolcetto and doucet.

This word in other languages

dulce(Español)suave(Français)wohlklingend(Deutsch)

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 "dulcet"?
"dulcet" is spelled D-U-L-C-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdʌl.sɪt/.
What does "dulcet" mean?
As an adjective, "dulcet" means: Sweet, especially when describing voice or tones; melodious.
How do you pronounce "dulcet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dulcet" is /ˈdʌl.sɪt/. 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 "dulcet"?
From Middle English doucet, from Old French doucet, from dulz, dulce (“sweet, pleasant”) + diminutive -et, from Latin dulcis (“sweet, pleasant”). Cognate with Spanish dulce, French doux, Italian dolce, Portuguese doce, and Romanian dulce. Doublet ... 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 "dulcet", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Dougan#85,192encase#85,219engram#85,223Fairey#85,236

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list