dulcimer

/ˈdʌl.sɪ.mɚ/

//ˈdʌl.sɪ.mɚ// noun

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

"dulcimer" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“dulcimer” is uncommon English (frequency #82,248 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,248
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A stringed instrument, with strings stretched across a sounding board, usually trapezoidal, played by plucking on the strings (traditionally with a quill) or by tapping on them (in the case of the ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-dulcimer · dulcimer · English

dulcimer · rank #82,248 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,248
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH duffer

Nearest frequency peer: duffer (-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 “dulcimer”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for dulcimer
PropertyValue
Headworddulcimer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdʌl.sɪ.mɚ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#82,248
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “dulcimer” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).dulcimerfalls 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: “duffer” (#82,247), “dulls” (#82,249), “DTR” (#82,246). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “dulcimer” is #82,248. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

dulcimer is uncommon English at frequency #82,248 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdʌl.sɪ.mɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A stringed instrument, with strings stretched across a sounding board, usually trapezoidal, played by plucking on the strings (traditionally with a quill) or by tapping on them (in the case of the ...".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for dulcimer, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French doulcemelle, probably from Latin dulce melos (“sweet song”), from Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “melody, song”). The correct English form is dulcimer, spelled D-U-L-C-I-M-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A stringed instrument, with strings stretched across a sounding board, usually trapezoidal, played by plucking on the strings (traditionally with a quill) or by tapping on them (in the case of the hammer dulcimers).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A damsel with a dulcimer / In a vision once I saw: / It was an Abyssinian maid / And on her dulcimer she played, / Singing of Mount Abora.
  2. Accompanying himself with his dulcimer, a plectrum instrument of his own handicraft, Niles harks back to the balladeers of old.

Etymology

From Old French doulcemelle, probably from Latin dulce melos (“sweet song”), from Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “melody, song”).

This word in other languages

salterio(Español)tympanon(Français)Zimbal(Deutsch)saltério(Português)

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 "dulcimer"?
"dulcimer" is spelled D-U-L-C-I-M-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdʌl.sɪ.mɚ/.
What does "dulcimer" mean?
As a noun, "dulcimer" means: A stringed instrument, with strings stretched across a sounding board, usually trapezoidal, played by plucking on the strings (traditionally with a quill) or by tapping on them (in the case of the ...
How do you pronounce "dulcimer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dulcimer" is /ˈdʌl.sɪ.mɚ/. 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 "dulcimer"?
From Old French doulcemelle, probably from Latin dulce melos (“sweet song”), from Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “melody, song”). 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 "dulcimer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

deforest#82,217deadhead#82,216farmhand#82,283crossman#82,203

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list