dull

/dʌl/

//dʌl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“dull” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,788 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#7,788
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

dull vs duo
50% similar
dull vs dun
50% similar
dull vs dum
50% similar

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

Key facts for dull
PropertyValue
Headworddull
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dʌl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#7,788
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dull” 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). dull 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 dull is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dʌl/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,788 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for dull, with forms such as "ddull", "dlul", and "dul". 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", "dun", "dum", 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 Middle English dull, dul (also dyll, dill, dwal), from Old English dol (“dull, foolish, erring, heretical; foolish, silly; presumptuous”), from Proto-West Germanic *dol, from Proto-Germanic *dulaz, from earlier *dwulaz, a variant of *dwalaz (“stunned, … The correct English form is dull, spelled D-U-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp.
  2. 2
    Boring; not exciting or interesting.
  3. 3
    Not shiny; having a matte finish or no particular luster or brightness.
  4. 4
    Not bright or intelligent; stupid; having slow understanding.
  5. 5
    Sluggish, listless.
  6. 6
    Bored, depressed, down.
  7. 7
    Cloudy, overcast.
  8. 8
    Insensible; unfeeling.
  9. 9
    Heavy; lifeless; inert.
  10. 10
    Not intense; felt indistinctly or only slightly.
  11. 11
    Not clear, muffled. (of a noise or sound)

Etymology

From Middle English dull, dul (also dyll, dill, dwal), from Old English dol (“dull, foolish, erring, heretical; foolish, silly; presumptuous”), from Proto-West Germanic *dol, from Proto-Germanic *dulaz, from earlier *dwulaz, a variant of *dwalaz (“stunned, mad, foolish, misled”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwel-, *dʰewel- (“to dim, dull, cloud, make obscure, swirl, whirl”). Cognate with Scots dull, doll (“slow to understand or hear, deaf, dull”), North Frisian dol (“rash, unthinking, giddy, flippant”), Dutch dol (“crazy, mad, insane”), Low German dul, dol (“mad, silly, stupid, fatuous”), German toll (“crazy, mad, wild, fantastic”), Danish dval (“foolish, absurd”), Icelandic dulur (“secretive, silent”), West-Flemish dul (angry, furious).

This word in other languages

romo(Español)émoussé(Français)stumpf(Deutsch)cego(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddull,dlul,dul,udll

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddull1dlul2dul1udll2
Edit distance from "dull"

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 "dull"?
"dull" is spelled D-U-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /dʌl/.
What does "dull" mean?
As an adjective, "dull" means: Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp.
What words are commonly confused with "dull"?
"dull" is commonly confused with "duo", "dun", "dum". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dull"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dull" is /dʌl/. 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 "dull"?
From Middle English dull, dul (also dyll, dill, dwal), from Old English dol (“dull, foolish, erring, heretical; foolish, silly; presumptuous”), from Proto-West Germanic *dol, from Proto-Germanic *dulaz, from earlier *dwulaz, a variant of *dwalaz (... 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 “dull”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-U-L-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dʌl/ (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. dull 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